Senior pacer Mohammad Shami recently shared his disappointment at missing the Indian squad for the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) tour of Australia, starting November 22 in Perth.
Eager to make his return in this high-profile series, Shami has been sidelined due to ongoing recovery from an Achilles tendon surgery he underwent earlier this year.
Shami, who last played in the ODI World Cup final in November last year, has been focused on regaining fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Recently, he began bowling at full strength in the nets, raising fans’ hopes for a Test comeback. However, his absence from the BGT squad indicates he’s still not fully match-ready.
On October 26, Shami posted a video of his intense workout session on Instagram, expressing his regret and dedication.
“Putting in my efforts and getting better with my bowling fitness day by day. Will continue working hard towards getting ready for the match and playing domestic red-ball cricket. Sorry to all cricket fans and BCCI too, but very soon I’m ready to play red-ball cricket, love you all,” he wrote.
If his recovery stays on track, Shami could appear in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, set to begin on November 6 in Bengaluru. Sources suggest that if he performs well, he may join the Indian team in Australia for practice fixtures and potentially reintegrate into the squad.
“If he plays that fixture, he can even travel with the Indian team to Australia and play the practice fixture and then slowly integrate back into the squad,” sources revealed, adding that his rehab is in the final stages.