Shami's new injury all but rules him out of Australia tour: Report

Mohammed Shami, who has been out of action for almost a year, has now developed a side strain and is now likely to miss the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Times of India reported on November 5 (Tuesday).

The right-arm quick wasn’t named in Bengal’s squad for their next two Ranji Trophy 2024-25 fixtures: Karnataka (November 6-9) and Madhya Pradesh (November 13-16), respectively. This new injury has further delayed his comeback to competitive cricket.

The right-arm fast bowler hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the 2023 ODI World Cup final. The 34-year-old did not take part in India's triumphant T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, as he opted to undergo surgery on his right Achilles tendon and has been in rehabilitation ever since. 

Shami did undergo bowling and fielding drills at the end of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru on October 20 and said he is "100 percent” pain-free. However, he had developed “a swelling on his knee” and wasn’t named in India’s squad for the five-match Test series in Australia, starting on November 22.

"I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can't put too much stress on my body. So we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%," Shami had said last month.

"The Australia series is still far away. The only thing I want to focus on is how to keep myself fit, and how strong I can be before going there. I know what kind of an attack we want for that Test series, so it's better I spend some more time on the ground before going. If I get fit and I get a gap of eight to ten days, then it's better I play one or two domestic matches before going to Australia.”

With Shami ruled out of Bengal’s next two Ranji fixtures, it’s highly unlikely he will take any part in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The first half of the ongoing Ranji Trophy will come to an end on November 16, and the focus will shift to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (November 23-December 15) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (December 21-January 18).

The second half of the Ranji Trophy will only get underway from January 23, but by then, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be over. Shami did say he wants to play a couple of domestic games before making a comeback to the Indian side but by the looks of it, it’s not going to happen. It’s also highly unlikely that the selectors will pick him in the Indian Test squad without any match practice. 

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