Rohit Sharma went unfiltered during the post-match press conference when asked whether Mohammed Shami would be available for the remaining two matches.
Despite returning to competitive cricket for some time, Mohammed Shami’s return to the Indian setup remains uncertain. Initially, a few reports claimed Shami might feature in the Border Gavaskar Trophy at some stage, but there has been no update or indications yet.
Rohit Sharma went unfiltered during the post-match press conference when asked whether Mohammed Shami would be available for the remaining two matches. He stated the NCA should provide a solid update before the team takes a call because he doesn’t want to draft someone who pulls out midway through the Test match.
“I think it’s high time somebody from NCA talked about him. That’s our national cricket academy where he is rehabbing. Those guys are the ones who need to come up and give us some kind of update. But look, I understand he’s playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well. The last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. You know what happens when that kind of thing happens.”
Shami is unlikely to travel to Australia at this stage due to multiple incidents of a sore knee after the surgery. However, the relevant NCA members must clarify Shami’s situation to the team management.
Mohammed Shami set to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami will play for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after being named in the 20-man squad. In the build-up to this tournament, he featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he took 11 wickets at an average of 25.36 in nine outings.
He complained about swelling in his knee during the competition, which must be behind his exclusion from the Australia tour. However, he will have another chance to get into the rhythm by playing in a slightly longer format, where Shami will bowl as many as ten overs.
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Maybe the team management has decided to keep Shami in India and let him play across white-ball formats. This will help him prepare for the crucial England series and the Champions Trophy early next year.
Mukesh Kumar has returned from Australia and partner Mohammed Shami in the Bengal team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Bengal begin their campaign against Delhi in Hyderabad on Saturday (December 21).
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