BRISBANE: It is a question that has followed India captain Rohit Sharma from the moment the home season began in Chennai three months ago — what is the update on Mohammed Shami, and when will he join the Indian team? Sharma has been answering the same query with patience until Wednesday, when he finally opened up and said it was time someone from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) provided clarity on the senior pacer's fitness.
Shami’s last international match was the 2023 ODI World Cup final, and he has been out of action for almost a year due to injury. The pacer trained with the Indian team during their Bengaluru camp before the first Test against New Zealand. He also featured in a Ranji Trophy game for Bengal and later participated in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for his state.
When questioned in Adelaide about Shami’s prospects of joining the Indian team in Australia, Sharma disclosed that the bowler was dealing with a knee swelling and was under observation.
“We are just monitoring him because while playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali, he got some swelling in his knee, which hampers his preparation to come and play a Test match. We want to be very careful. We don't want to bring him here, he pulls up sore or something happens,” Sharma explained.
A week later, as the same question was posed again in Brisbane following the rain-affected draw, Sharma made his stance clear. “I think it's high time somebody from NCA talks about him. That's our National Cricket Academy where he is rehabbing. Those guys are the ones who need to come up and give us some kind of update,” he said.
“But look, I understand he is playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well. The last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. You know what happens when that kind of thing happens. So there is no way we want to take that chance. Unless we are 100 per cent, 200 per cent sure, we are not going to take any risk. But, yeah, like I said in the last press conference, the door is open. If those guys at the NCA feel that he is okay to go and recover and play, we'll be happy to have him,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shami has been named in Bengal’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They will begin their campaign against Delhi in Hyderabad on 21st December.