Mohammad Shami last played any cricket was in 2023 World Cup.
There has been a lot of speculation over Shami’s fitness. Shami underwent ankle surgery after the 2023 World Cup and since then has been rehabbing and recovering at home and at the NCA respectively.
There were reports recently that his comeback had been delayed after he suffered a knee injury at the NCA. Shami was set to make his comeback in Ranji Trophy for Bengal and then probably play atleast one Test against New Zealand before the BGT 2024 tour of Australia.
Shami was seen bowling to India batter Shubman Gill and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar in India nets with a heavily taped knee. This was a few days after skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that he had swelling in his knees which has affected his rehabilitation from an ankle injury sustained last year.
"I am very happy with how I bowled yesterday. I was bowling from half run-up before that because I didn't want to take too much load. But yesterday, I decided to go full tilt, and I bowled at 100 percent.
The result was good. I am 100 percent pain-free. Everyone has been wondering for a long time about whether I will make it for the Australia series but it is still some time away," Shami told reporters.
Rohit had stated that he did not want to take an "undercooked" Shami for the vital series. Shami also stated that he would like to play a few Ranji Trophy matches for his state side, Bengal.
"The only thing on my mind is to ensure that I am fit and how strong I can be for the Australia series. I can see what kind of attack we need in Australia. I have to spend more time on the ground. I want to play a couple of (Ranji) matches before I go," he added.
(PTI inputs)