Rohit reluctant to risk Shami unless “200% sure” that he is fully fit to play the remaining two tests at Melbourne and Sydney.
Rohit reluctant to risk star pacer Mohammad Shami unless he is assured of his full fitness. He believes it is “high time that the NCA talks about him”.
According to captain Rohit Sharma, India would not risk anything on Mohammed Shami till they are “not 100%, but 200% sure” that he is fit to travel to Australia. For clarification on Shami’s current fitness status, Rohit has placed the entire decision-making burden on the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, previously the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
After missing almost a year of action due to ankle surgery, Shami has returned to competitive cricket. He will next play for Bengal in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy beginning on December 21.
“About Shami, I think it’s high time somebody from NCA talks about him, where he is rehabbing,” Rohit said at the press conference in Brisbane after the third Test ended in a draw. “Those guys are the ones who need to come up and give us some kind of update.
“I understand he’s playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well. So, look, 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 like, not 100%, 200% sure, we’re 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.”
Since his ankle surgery in London this February, Shami has been under the care of the Centre of Excellence. Prior to the start of India’s domestic season in August, he was bowling at full capacity and had been on track for a comeback during the home Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, while in rehabilitation, he worsened a knee injury, which prompted the BCCI to adopt a more cautious stance.
After playing in every domestic match for his state team, Bengal, since he regained match fitness, Shami has sparked discussions about a potential Test comeback at some point during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This includes nine T20 appearances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and one Ranji Trophy match in which he claimed seven wickets.
Nitin Patel, head of sports science at the Centre of Excellence, had been keeping a close eye on Shami ever since he returned to the domestic fold. Under Patel’s leadership, this team has been touring the nation to assess his development and update the board and team management.
According to reports, Shami complained of some knee swelling during the T20 competition, which Rohit mentioned after India’s defeat in Adelaide. As a result, Shami has not yet had the complete support of the BCCI. Which is why Rohit reluctant about Shami’s participation.
Shami played, most recently in last week’s SMAT quarterfinal, where Bengal was eliminated by Baroda, and it is believed that the Bengal team management at the time did not receive any special demands regarding his workload. With a best of 3 for 21 against Hyderabad, Shami took nine wickets at an economy rate of 7.85 in 11 games.
With time running out for him to be available for the final two Australia Tests, Shami’s involvement in the Vijay Hazare Trophy could assist determine his readiness, potentially, for the Champions Trophy.