Senior pacer Mohammed Shami, undergoing rehabilitation after ankle surgery, will likely return to competitive cricket for his home team, Bengal, in the Ranji Trophy. He may play in one of the Tests in the three-match series against New Zealand.
It is understood that Shami may play in one of Bengal’s first two Ranji matches – against Uttar Pradesh on October 11 and Bihar on October 18. With only two days between the two matches, it is unlikely that he will be a part of both matches.
The New Zealand Test series will begin in Bengaluru on October 19, followed by Tests in Pune (October 24) and Mumbai (November 1). Shami is expected to play in one of these matches before embarking on the tough tour of Australia.
One of India’s best fast bowlers, 34-year-old Shami, has been out of the team since the ODI World Cup final against Australia played in Ahmedabad on November 19 last year. He had ankle surgery in England in February this year. After this, he was away from the game for six months.
In some videos shared on Instagram, Shami is seen bowling at low speed with short runups in his RTP routine (return to the game) at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
There were reports that he might be available for the Duleep Trophy. It has been learned that he could not be fit during the Duleep Trophy, and the selectors do not want to take any risk in a hurry.
The priority of the Indian team management is to keep the country’s top three fast bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj) fit for the five Test matches to be held in Australia. Shami has taken 229 wickets in 64 Test matches so far. He has taken five wickets in an innings six times during this period.
