There is a lot of speculation around Mohammad Shami’s participation in the last two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
The senior pacer has not played for India since his appearance in the ODI World Cup final in November last year. He underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year, and then had an extended rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Shami recently made his return to competitive action through the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. He is currently plying his trade in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Amid the varying reports, Shami’s name was included in Bengal’s Vijay Hazare Trophy (domestic one-day tournament) squad on Saturday (December 14).
Bengal will begin their campaign against Delhi in Hyderabad on Saturday (December 21). The Sudip Kumar Gharami-led side will leave Kolkata for Hyderabad on Wednesday (December 18).
Mohammad Shami’s presence in the Bengal squad clearly indicates that he is not joining the Indian team soon.
Recently, news agency PTI reported that Shami himself "feels" he is not ready to take the rigours of red-ball cricket right now and the right-arm quick may choose to preserve himself for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the subsequent Indian Premier League season for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
"The swelling seems to come and go. He himself is keen on playing more and more domestic cricket and hence the possibility of him once again playing Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bengal looks imminent at the moment.
"He can then bowl at least three spells and 10 overs per game," a BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"Shami is at the business end of his career. What if his knee acts up badly in Australia after a long spell? He will have to field on hard grounds. He missed the last IPL due to ankle surgery.
"This time, he has a hefty Rs 10 crore deal with SRH. You can't blame him if he wants to preserve himself for white ball format for now," the source added.
In Shami's absence, India's pace department will continue to be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah in the ongoing tour Down Under, with the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana and Akash Deep also in the ranks of the visitors.
