Senior pacer Mohammed Shami stands a decent chance of being considered for India’s upcoming limited-overs home games against England.
The home matches begin with the first T20I at Eden Gardens on January 22. The ODIs begin on February 6.
Shami had been working on his fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after a knee swelling had sidelined him yet again. Despite being named in Bengal’s Vijay Hazare Trophy squad, Shami had missed the first four games against Delhi, Tripura, Baroda and Kerala.
However, it was learnt that the 34-year-old had joined the Bengal squad in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening and is available for selection in their clash against Bihar on Friday.
“Shami even bowled at nets for some time today (Thursday),” a Bengal team source said.
The development certainly comes as a shot in the arm for Shami. If he can operate smoothly in Vijay Hazare, his chances of featuring in the England matches and the Champions Trophy thereafter in February-March should certainly brighten.
One even felt that Shami’s comeback could be delayed till mid-IPL 2025. But this does reflect his quick progress fighting the dodgy knee that had threatened to delay his comeback into the Indian team.
“Shami bowled last on Saturday before leaving for Hyderabad. If he does well in these Vijay Hazare games, he surely has a good chance of being considered for the England ODIs at least, if not for the T20I series,” a BCCI official told The Telegraph.
The knee swelling had crushed Shami’s hopes of joining Team India at some point in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The team management, too, wanted him to be 100 per cent fit before boarding the flight to Australia.
