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Mohammed Shami Can Still Join Indian Test Team In Australia; Check BCCI's Latest Condition

Mohammed Shami- (Source: @Johns/X.com)Mohammed Shami- (Source: @Johns/X.com)

Mohammed Shami, who has been brilliant for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, is likely to be drafted into the Indian squad for the Test series against Australia. It had been a long time since Shami last played competitive cricket. Still, he marked his comeback in style with four wickets against Madhya Pradesh at Holkar Stadium in Indore yesterday.

His figures of 19-4-54-4, ably complemented by all-important wickets of MP skipper Shubham Sharma, spoke of a very high rhythm, and that happened only after a tough start to the game for someone still finding his feet after his first match since the ODI World Cup final last year.

A Cautious Approach By BCCI

However, the Indian team management is taking a cautious approach. Shami’s fitness will be thoroughly assessed, with the selection committee looking closely at how his body holds up in the second innings of the ongoing match.

"Obviously, Shami was asked to play this game keeping in mind that the next round of Ranji Trophy will only start on January 23 after the Test season is over. So, the selectors had only one match to check his fitness. He has bowled 19 overs in multiple spells and fielded for most part of the 57 overs. He bowled 90 dot balls. But he will again have to bowl and field (in the second innings). Suppose he bowls another 15 to 18 overs in the second innings, that's a very decent amount of overs bowled.

"But the biggest test would be whether he again feels any pain after four days. If the NCA medical team green-lights his fitness, obviously he will join before the second Test," the BCCI source added.

Shami's Fitness To Be Looked At

Mohammed Shami's fitness saga has been long and gruelling. But he hadn't played for nearly a year after his ankle surgery and could not join the camp held two weeks after his knee swelling began. Indian selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, and the team management have no clue whether Shami will be fit by the time the team's playing season begins. 

Other selection committee members are Ajay Ratra and the head of the NCA Medical Team, Dr Nitin Patel, who will play a pivotal role in evaluating whether Shami is match-ready. Should Shami pass the fitness tests, he could potentially join the squad before the second Test, with a two-day day/night practice game against Prime Minister's XI set to provide further preparation.