Indian bowler Mohammed Shami has been out of action since the ODI World Cup 2023. He has not made his return to competitive cricket after undergoing surgery. While there were expectations for him to be fit for the three-Test series against New Zealand – he has yet to regain full fitness.
His involvement in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy seems uncertain as skipper Rohit Sharma is reluctant to take an ‘undercooked’ bowler to Australia, especially while Shami continues his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, not far from the first Test venue against New Zealand.
“To be honest, it is tough to make a decision on him for the Australia series. He experienced a setback and had swelling in his knees, which set him back a bit, forcing him to start his recovery from scratch. He is currently at the NCA, working with doctors and physiotherapists. We don’t want to risk taking an undercooked Shami to Australia. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” Rohit stated in the pre-match press conference.
Earlier India’s practice session scheduled for October 15 was called off due to rain in Bengaluru. Consequently, the press conference was moved up as players stayed indoors ahead of the first Test of the series.
In the meantime, Shami shared a couple of photos on October 14 of himself engaged in weight training with the caption: “Big or small, every challenge is just another step forward when you love what you do.”
The 34-year-old has a commendable record on Australian pitches, having taken 31 wickets across eight Tests at an average of 32.16, which includes two five-wicket hauls.
In Shami’s absence, Akash Deep has made a strong impression with his extended spells. He has performed well with the new ball particularly against left-handed batters. In the recently concluded two-Test series against Bangladesh, he was chosen over Mukesh Kumar, claiming five wickets in the spin-friendly conditions.
Many have even drawn comparisons between the 27-year-old Bengal pacer and Shami. Additionally, he has shown himself to be a capable lower-order batsman; in the second Test against Bangladesh, as India was dismissed, he hit Shakib Al Hasan for two consecutive sixes.
