Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is all set to join the Indian squad in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
In a significant development, The Indian side is reportedly keen on flying Mohammed Shami to Australia sooner but is awaiting a NOD from the NCA to give an all-clear report for the Indian seamer.
BCCI has made all preparations for the Indian pacer including the Visa process & has already prepared his kit.
Veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami sustained a knee injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India & had required surgery after India’s campaign ended in the final against India. Following the World Cup, Mohammed Shami consulted specialists in London but did not see any progress with the BCCI for surgery in Shami’s case addressing the issue. The Surgery took place earlier this year in February 2024.
After the surgery, Mohammed Shami entered a rehabilitation program at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru as the Indian pacer was ruled out of the IPL 2024. His recovery timeline was closely monitored which involved bowling specified drills to regain match fitness.
Mohammed Shami’s recovery progressed well as he was declared fit in November 2024 which also marked his return to competitive cricket. However, the Indian team didn’t include Mohammed Shami in their squad as the management didn’t want to rush & wanted the Indian pacer to play some competitive cricket before traveling to Australia.
Shami did return to competitive cricket after featuring for Bengal in the Ranji trophy. In his return for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh, he returned with figures of 4/54 & 3/102. Later on, Shami was part of Bengal’s squad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and has played seven games so far scalping eight wickets in the tournament. Following this BCCI is fast-tracking the Indian pacer’s clearance from the NCA.
The Indian team’s pace attack does look fiery with Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna appearing promising but lacking experience & has struggled for consistency, with Jasprit Bumrah being the standout pacer. The addition of Mohammed Shami could bring much-needed balance & depth to the squad.
Although Mohammed Shami is unlikely to feature in the third test in Brisbane commencing on December 14, he might be available for the final two games in Melbourne & Sydney.