Mohammad Shami's much-awaited return to international cricket might get delayed further as reports suggest that the veteran pacer has been rocked by a fresh injury.
According to a report published in the Times of India, Shami has developed “swollen knees” and is likely to be out of action for another six to eight weeks.
"Shami had resumed bowling and he was looking on track to make a comeback to competitive cricket soon. But this knee injury has flared up recently. BCCI's medical team is assessing the injury but it may require quite a bit of time," a BCCI source was quoted as saying in the report.
Notably, Shami was expected to return to competitive action in the first round of the Ranji Trophy after being named in Bengal's squad. However, the latest development has jeopardized his participation in India's premier red-ball domestic tournament.
The BCCI medical team has been closely monitoring Shami's fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to get him ready for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Team India would require the services of the right-arm quick as he has the experience of playing Down Under.
"It's a jolt for the NCA medical team. They have been working on him for over a year. They have one of the best workload management systems in place. The medical team is trying its best to put him back in the park soon," the source said.
Shami has been out of competitive action since the ODI World Cup final in November last year. He underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year.
If Shami fails to recover in time for the Australia then there will be a lot of burden on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Other than Bumrah and Siraj, India do not have a seasoned pacer in their ranks who can be replied upon in Australian conditions.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is slated to get underway on November 22 in Perth and the action will then shift to Adelaide (December 6-10), where both teams will face each other in a Day-Night Test. The last three Tests are set to take place in Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).
(With TOI Inputs)
