The anticipation of watching the premier Indian pacer bowler, Mohammad Shami, back in action is getting high, as he has been out of action since the final of the Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 at home against Australia. He missed all the cricketing actions since that period with injury and is slowly getting ready to make a comeback in the national side.
Mohammad Shami was part of the Indian squad in the two-match Test series in South Africa towards the end of last year before the selectors decided to take him name out of the squad because of his injury, which later ruled him out of the five-match home red-ball series against England.
After going through a successful surgery, the Uttar Pradesh-born was out of the recent season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) too. There were doubts about him making a comeback for the Blue Brigade in the recent Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA), but the BCCI decided to keep the pacer in full shape and rhythm for their upcoming five-match Test trip to Australia.
Bengal name Mohammad Shami for the upcoming 2024-25 domestic season
Recent reports have confirmed that Mohammad Shami has been included among the 31 members of the Bengal squad for the upcoming domestic season. The earlier reports expressed that the management is in no rush to make the pacer back in the field, which is one of the reasons why he hasn’t been included in any of the squads in the Duleep Trophy 2024.
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The veteran pacer may also miss the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh, which is going to take place in the third week of September. The plan is to make him play a few games for Bengal at the start of the Ranji season, perhaps the first couple of games against UP and Bihar, before gradually marking his return to the team for the New Zealand series.
The 33-year-old has picked up 229 wickets in 64 Tests for India at an average of under 28 and a strike rate of 50, celebrating six five-wicket hauls with a best of 6/56. In 88 first-class games, the expressive pacer has enjoyed 332 scalps in 166 innings at an average of around 27, thanks to his 12 five-wicket hauls.
India is going to play a few intra-squad practice games before facing Australia A ahead of the beginning of the series, and Mohammad Shami could be a part of the games, who check his fitness and rhythm. Since the ODI World Cup last year, where he was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 24 scalps in just seven innings at an average of under 11 and a strike rate of a tad over 12, with three five-wicket hauls, Shami hasn’t featured in any comparative games.
He has been working hard at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is making slow and steady progress to recover from the ankle injury. In the final stage of his rehabilitation, Mohammad Shami has started to bowl with a short run-up before the trainers increase the workload.
India has been unbeaten in retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) since 2016, as they have won two back-to-back red-ball series in Australia during the 2018-19 and 2020-21 summer. To make a hat-trick of the feat and keep the title in their favor, they need the experience of a fully fit Mohammad Shami on the upcoming trip.