Amidst all the doom and gloom of India’s series loss at home against New Zealand, there is some good news. Reports are emerging that star pacer Mohammad Shami is most likely set to play the next Ranji Trophy game for Bengal against Karnataka. The match is supposed to be played in Bengaluru, where Shami has been practicing for the last few weeks.
One source in the know told IANS “Yes, we have heard that Shami may join the Bengal team for the Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, as the side will be coming to Bengaluru, where he’s already training, preparing to his absolute best and doing his bowling practice at the NCA. Everyone around him has been working hard to ensure he hopefully gets to play the game against Karnataka from November 6.”
If Mohammed Shami’s body holds up, the 34-year-old is also expected to play Bengal’s game against Madhya Pradesh. It will be a huge boost for India if Shami is fit and ready for a comeback. Indian selectors hadn’t named Shami in the original squad that is set to fly down to Australia.
Can Mohammed Shami get fit in time?
During the chat with IANS, the source while speaking about Mohammed Shami said “The parameters NCA people could observe for him would be around the number of overs he bowls, and how his recovery process is after being out on the field for a day or even after featuring in all four days of the Ranji Trophy games. If all of the processes with regards to him go well, then one probably may see him be with the Indian team from the Brisbane Test happening from December 14-18,”
Brisbane is set to host the third game of the series after Perth and Adelaide host the first two Tests. The second game in Adelaide is a day-and-night encounter before the teams move to the Gabba. Mohammed Shami played just one game during the last tour of Australia as he got injured during the Adelaide Test.
The 34-year-old has been sorely missed by India in the last few months. Rohit Sharma would have loved to have a fit Shami running into bowl against the Kiwis during the current series. This latest news though has given fans huge hopes to see India’s pace ace back in action soon.