Mohd Shami returns to the Indian team after 14 months

Mumbai: Mohammed Shami, known for his exceptional upright seam bowling and pinpoint accuracy, is set to make his comeback to the international cricket scene after a gap of 14 months. The talented pacer has been included in the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, which is scheduled to begin on January 22. His selection has sparked hopes among fans that a successful and injury-free run in the series could pave the way for his inclusion in the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, set to take place from February 19 to March 9.

Shami’s return ends a frustrating wait for the senior fast bowler battling various injuries and then rehabilitation. The pacer was last seen in action for India on November 19, 2023 in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad; a tournament in which he topped the wicket-taking charts with 24 scalps in seven matches.

The 34-year-old had been managing a chronic heel issue during the World Cup; his rehab came into sharp focus while he was being treated with injections in consultation with BCCI’s medical team. He ultimately required surgery on his right Achilles tendon in February 2024, which saw him miss out on IPL action.

Indian cricket missed Shami’s services the most in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy series loss in Australia, where Jasprit Bumrah was on song, capturing 32 wickets, but lacked support and ultimately broke down with back spasms in the fifth Test in Sydney. After his recovery following prolonged rehab, Shami bowled in the Indian nets during the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand in October and was declared fit to compete in the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. That’s when Shami felt he was fit to return in India colours although he was kept waiting by BCCI’s medical team.

“I understand he’s playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well. So, look, the last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. So, there is no way we want to take that chance. Unless we are like, not 100%, 200% sure, we’re not going to take any risk,” India skipper Rohit Sharma said in Australia last month, adding that it was for the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to give its assessment of Shami.

BCCI then backed up Rohit’s comments. “Shami has completely recovered from this heel problem. However, his left knee has exhibited minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload,” its statement said. “Based on the current medical assessment, the BCCI Medical Team has determined that his knee requires more time for controlled exposure to bowling loads.”

Former India coach Ravi Shastri criticised Shami’s injury management process and felt more should have been done to get him fit for Australia. “He’s been sitting in the NCA for I don’t know how long. A player of his ability, I would have brought him to Australia,” Shastri told the ICC podcast. “I would have kept him as part of the team and made sure his rehab was done with the team. And then if we thought by the third Test that ‘No, this guy can’t play the rest of the series’, I would let him go.”

On a comeback trail, Shami endured more match workload by turning out for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare ODIs in Vadodara where he bowled 28 overs across three matches. Declared fit by BCCI medics and watched by the national selectors, Shami has finally made it back.

With India fretting over Bumrah’s fitness, Shami’s comeback will be a shot in the arm for India’s Champions Trophy prospects.

The rest of the T20 squad led by Suryakumar Yadav is on expected lines with a couple of additions – all-rounder Nitish Reddy finding a place and Dhruv Jurel replacing Jitesh Sharma as second wicketkeeper from the team that played against South Africa in November. Sanju Samson, who had scored heavily against South Africa – he hit two hundreds in the T20s – will remain the first-choice keeper-bat. The left-right explosive combination of Samson-Abhishek Sharma has been kept intact.

Axar vice-captain

Left-arm spin bowling allrounder Axar Patel was named deputy to Yadav, underlining his rise in white-ball cricket with Ravindra Jadeja in the twilight of his career. Whether to pick Axar as well as Jadeja, like-for-like spin all-rounders, for the Champions Trophy is a call Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee has to take.

With Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant not picked for the T20Is, a board source confirms, they are “in line to be picked for the ODI series against England and ultimately the Champions Trophy”. Jaiswal is yet to play ODIs.

That keeps the selectors waiting for one important cog in the wheel - Bumrah. The pacer may be named when the provisional squad is announced ‘subject to recovery’ but his participation in the marquee event will depend on how his body responds to bowling workloads when he returns to nets. Bumrah underwent a major back surgery in 2023 and a call on his comeback after the back spasms in the MCG Test will be made with his all-format workload in mind.

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