Mohammed Shami is expected to travel to Australia at some point during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is ensuring that when the national selectors, in collaboration with the team management, make their final decision, it will be the right one.
A team from the BCCI Sports Science department, along with a national selector, is currently stationed in Rajkot to closely monitor the India pacer, who is returning after a year-long injury layoff.
Nitin Patel, the head of the BCCI’s Sports Science wing at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, along with trainer Nishant Bardule and selector SS Das, are in Rajkot to assess Shami’s fitness.
The pacer has been representing Bengal in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
The NCA team’s task is to determine whether Shami can handle the physical demands of a high-intensity Test match, should he be called up to the squad.
The NCA trainer worked with the 34-year-old pacer until Saturday and is believed to have left Rajkot, leaving behind drills for Shami to follow.
However, Patel remains in Rajkot, along with the selector.
According to reports, the BCCI will not proceed with Shami’s selection until the Sports Science Department gives its approval.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the Indian team management in Australia are being regularly updated on Shami’s progress.
While performances in T20 matches may not directly reflect preparedness for a Test match, the focus of the observation is on Shami’s ability to handle the physical workload of a Test.
T20 games are considered sufficiently intense to test a player’s fitness, and Shami has been asked to bowl a set number of deliveries each day, with both his pre-match and post-match conditions being closely monitored.
Shami has played four matches in the SMAT so far, with figures of 1/46 against Punjab, 3/21 against Hyderabad, 0/46 against Mizoram, and 0/38 against Madhya Pradesh.
Fitness-wise, he is believed to have performed well.
Before this, he played in a four-day Ranji match against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, where he took 4/54 and 3/102 in two innings.
Bengal won the match by 11 runs, with Shami taking the final wicket in a close finish.
At this stage, the team management and national selectors appear to want Shami to play a few more matches before considering his recall.
Bengal has three more league games scheduled in Rajkot – against Meghalaya on December 1, Bihar on December 3, and Rajasthan on December 5 – before the tournament moves to Bengaluru for the knockout rounds starting December 9.
Shami’s importance to the national side cannot be overstated.
Jasprit Bumrah, before the first Test, acknowledged Shami’s value, stating that the team management is closely monitoring the veteran pacer’s progress.
“Mohammed Shami is an integral part of this team.
He’s started bowling, and the management is keeping a close eye on him.
Hopefully, you might see him here,” said Bumrah, the vice-captain who led the side in the Perth Test.
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