Mohammed Shami to make competitive return after a year, boosting hopes of featuring in Australia Tests

Mohammed Shami will be making his return to competitive cricket after nearly a year with the senior pacer set to represent Bengal in their next Ranji Trophy fixture. According to ESPNCricinfo, Bengal have named Shami in their squad for the upcoming match against Madhya Pradesh that will take place in Indore starting Wednesday.

Shami’s last competitive appearance came in the ICC World Cup at home last year, in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker despite missing the first four matches. The 34-year-old would then undergo a surgery to repair a damaged Achilles tendon in February.

His rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru appeared to be on track, with Shami undergoing a few sessions in the nets during this period, including in Bengaluru following the conclusion of the first Test between India and New Zealand with India bowling coach Morne Morkel guiding him in the session.

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However, Shami was subsequently left out of India's squad for the upcoming Test series in Australia due to a swollen knee that complicated his recovery, with captain Rohit Sharma insisting he would not want a "uncooked" version of him for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Shami had also missed Bengal’s fixture against Karnataka after developing a fresh injury concern – a side strain – which had seemingly ended his hopes of playing in Australia.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel subsequently included Akash Deep and a returning Prasidh Krishna along with the uncapped Harshit Rana in the pace department along with seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy. The trio of Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Navdeep Saini were included as travelling reserves.

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Though he was excluded from the squad for the Australia Tests, the Indian team management as well as the selectors will be keeping a close eye on his performance in the Ranji game against MP.

Should he prove his fitness in that match, Shami could be added to the Indian squad, meaning he will likely to back to sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah with Mohammed Siraj bowling first change.

Shami had played a key role in India’s 2-1 triumph in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, their maiden Test series win on Australian soil. In the 2020-21 tour, however, he was ruled out of the remainder of the series after suffering a wrist injury in the opening Test in Adelaide – where the Virat Kohli-led visitors had been bowled out for 36.