Mohammed Shami’s return to competitive cricket has been further delayed as he was not included in the Bengal squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy matches against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Bengal will face Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium from Wednesday, followed by a clash with Madhya Pradesh in Indore from November 13.
Shami was expected to feature in the Karnataka fixture to assess his fitness in a match situation. He had bowled at full tilt in the nets after India’s recent Test against New Zealand, albeit with a bandage on his operated leg. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel also monitored his progress.
Shami expressed confidence in his recovery, stating that he felt “100%” in the nets. “I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can’t put too much stress on my body. So, we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%,” he said.
However, India skipper Rohit Sharma cautioned against rushing Shami back into action. “We don’t want to bring undercooked Shami to Australia. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” Rohit said.
In addition to Shami, Bengal will also be without Abhimanyu Easwaran, Abhishek Porel, and Mukesh Kumar, who are currently with the India A squad in Australia. Akash Deep, who was part of the Indian team for the New Zealand series, was also omitted from the state squad.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has announced his retirement from cricket after the ongoing domestic season, has been named in the squad for the two matches.
