India’s veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami couldn’t get match-fit in time for the tour of Australia following his rehab after an ankle surgery, but the right-arm pacer made a return to competitive cricket and is now being closely monitored, possibly for an addition to India’s Test squad Down Under at some stage during the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
According to a report on Cricbuzz, BCCI‘s selection committee member SS Das and a team from the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) sports science department led by Nitin Patel are in Rajkot to assess Shami’s fitness.
The report states that the “brief to the NCA team is to assess whether Shami can handle the physical demands of a high-intensity Test match, should he be called up to join the team.”
Shami is in Rajkot with the Bengal team for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
NCA trainer Nishant Bardule, who was accompanying Patel, has reportedly left Rajkot after assigning some specific fitness drills to Shami. A regular update on Shami is being shared with the Indian team and chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, in Australia. The bowler needs approval from the board’s Sports Science Department to be considered for selection.
The report further states that “Shami is also being asked to bowl a specific number of deliveries each day, with both his pre-match and post-match conditions being carefully monitored.”
Before SMAT, Shami impressed with his bowling and fitness in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh. He finished the match with haul of 7 wickets for 156 runs (4 for 54 and 3 for 102).
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