India's workhorse Mohammed Shami made a successful comeback to competitive cricket after missing the action for almost a year due to injury. As soon as he got back to his old self in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh, there were calls to include him in India's Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. However, bowling coach Morne Morkel wants to give some time to Shami and not rush him back to international cricket.
"We are keeping a close eye on Mohammed Shami. He's a world class bowler. We need to understand that he's been out of the game for almost a year. We need to respect him and his body as well," Morkel said in the press conference in Perth.
After taking seven wickets and contributing with a cameo in Bengal's close win over Madhya Pradesh, Shami has been selected in the state's squad for upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024. On Day 2 of the Perth Test, Shami will play Bengal's opening match of the T20 tournament against Punjab.
"It is a massive win for us that he's back playing. It was a great win for him picking up wickets in the first game. So how can we give him the best support? How can we give him the best opportunity to find his way back into the team? It's about being patient and giving his body to find its feet again with red-ball, white-ball, whatever format it might me. We are working closely with people back home. Good to see him back on the field," Morkel added.
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Ganguly wants Shami in Test squad
While Morkel does not want to rush Shami back into the Test squad, former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels that the 34-year-old should have been picked for the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval.
“Shami bowled nearly 45 overs, fielded for more than 100 overs and also scored some runs. That’s a good enough fitness test to be sent to Australia because you need a bowler of his calibre alongside Jasprit Bumrah," Ganguly told PTI.
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Shami has 31 wickets on Australian soil from eight Tests including two five-wicket haul. Overall, he has 44 wickets from 12 Tests against the defending World Test Championship (WTC) champions.
