Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami boosted his chances of joining the Australian tour with a strong performance in the Ranji Trophy on Thursday. He took four wickets for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.
Shami last played a competitive match in the World Cup final in November 2022. He underwent ankle surgery and then suffered a knee injury during his recovery.
The Indian team management wanted to assess Shami’s fitness before adding him to the Australian tour squad. The Bengal pacer responded by bowling four spells across 57 overs, taking 4 wickets for 54 runs.
A BCCI source said, “Obviously, Shami was asked to play this game keeping in mind that the next round of Ranji Trophy will only start on January 23 after the Test season is over.
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“So, the selectors had only one match to check his fitness. He has bowled 19 overs in multiple spells and fielded for most part of the 57 overs. He bowled 90 dot balls. But he will again have to bowl and field (in the second innings). Suppose he bowls another 15 to 18 overs in the second innings, that’s a very decent amount of overs bowled.
“But the biggest test would be whether he again feels any pain after four days. If the NCA medical team green-lights his fitness, obviously he will join before the second Test,” the BCCI source added.
The national selection committee will assess Shami’s fitness after the Ranji match concludes on November 16. If cleared, he might join the Indian team before the second Test against Australia, starting on December 6.