Home » Setback for India as key pacer likely to miss out Border-Gavaskar trophy

Setback for India as key pacer likely to miss out Border-Gavaskar trophy

by Sahil Jain
Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has suffered another setback in a bid to make a comeback to competitive cricket. India captain Rohit Sharma revealed that a recent swelling on his knee has made it difficult for them to assess whether he will be fully fit for the upcoming Australia tour.  

Rohit admitted that he did not want to take an undercooked Shami to Australia for the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The premier India fast bowler has been out of action for a year now due to an ankle injury. His last appearance for India came in the 2023 World Cup where he was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker – 24 scalps at an average of 10.70 and a stunning strike-rate of 12.20. 

He underwent surgery and was on track to being fully fit. However, an ‘unusual’ swelling in his knee complicated the situation and has set him back. Shami is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore  

To be honest, right now, it’s pretty difficult for us to make a call on him, whether he’ll be fit for this series or the Australia series. He recently had swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual. He was in the process of getting fit, getting close to 100 per cent, he had swelling in his knee, that put him back a little bit in his recovery. So, he had to start again. Right now, he’s at NCA, he’s working with the physios and the doctors at NCA,” Rohit Sharma was quoted saying in the pre-match press conference in Bangalore.

Rohit wants a 100% fit Shami for Australia tour

Rohit ruled out taking an undercooked Shami to Australia. He wants his premier fast bowler to be fully fit and even play a couple of games before returning to the international arena. Hence, this makes Shami’s availability for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy very uncertain.  

We are keeping our fingers crossed, we want him to be 100 per cent fit. We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia, that is not going to be the right decision for us, want to give him enough time to recover and be 100 per cent fit. The physios, the trainers, the doctors have set a roadmap for him. He is supposed to play a couple of (practice) games before he plays international cricket,” Rohit added.  

Shami has played a total of 64 Test matches in his career. The 34-year-old fast bowler has picked up 229 wickets at an average of 27.71. In Australia, he has featured in eight Tests, taking 31 scalps at an average of 32.16.  

India missed him in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under as well. He was hit on his elbow in the first Test at Adelaide which subsequently ruled him out of the series..

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts on the 22nd of November in Perth. India will play a warm-up game against India ‘A’ in the lead-up to the series. Shami has another month to prove his fitness. Plus, with the Ranji Trophy going on, he could turn up for Bengal before flying to Australia.

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