The wait continues for Mohammed Shami to return to competitive cricket. When BCCI announced the Duleep Trophy squads on Wednesday, Shami was a big miss. The pacer is recovering from an ankle injury he suffered during the ODI World Cup in November 2023. Since then, he has been in recovery. He was supposed to be back for India vs Bangladesh Test series with the Duleep Trophy being his first competitive assignment before the international return. But he remains unavailable.
Along with Shami, Jasprit Bumrah also remains unavailable. Bumrah is unlikely to play the IND vs BAN series. However, whether Mohammed Shami will play in the series remains a big question mark. India vs Bangladesh series starts on September 19 in Chennai.
“It’s difficult to say when I will be back. I am trying hard. But hopefully, you will get to see me in Bengal colours before I don the India jersey again. I will come to play two or three matches for Bengal and will come fully prepared for it,” Shami told News18 earlier this month.
Shami begins bowling
However, even if Mohammed Shami does not play, he is likely to attend the pre-series camp at the National Cricket Academy. A call on his return could be taken based on the injury assessment. He is already at the NCA for rehabilitation.
“Shami has started to bowl which is a good sign. September 19 is the first Test and that was always the goal. I don’t know if that is his timeline for recovery, will have to ask the guys at the NCA about that. There are so many Tests coming. We will need some depth,” Chairman of the BCCI selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, said of Shami ahead of the Sri Lanka series.
However, Mohammed Shami seems to be not fully fit yet to play in the Duleep Trophy. With every injury, the physios generally increase the workload slowly. Hence, Shami could return in white-ball formats before picking up the red cherry again.
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Mohammed Shami injury timeline
- November 2023: Shami plays in the ODI World Cup final.
- December 2023: Shami misses the South Africa tour owing to an ankle injury
- January 2024: Shami misses the Afghanistan T20 series
- February 2024: Mohd Shami undergoes surgery for Achilles tendon
- March 2024: Shami misses the entire IPL season with Gujarat Titans
- June 2024: Shami misses T20 World Cup
- June 2024: Shami begins rehab three months after surgery
- July 2024: Shami returns to the NCA to continue rehabilitation
- August 2024: Shami misses Duleep Trophy ahead of IND vs BAN Test series
