After Bangladesh Tests, Mohammed Shami ruled out of series opener against New Zealand

A fresh update has arrived on the possible comeback of the India National Cricket Team premier pacer Mohammed Shami, who last played competitive cricket on November 19, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Since that heartbreaking match against Australia in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Mohammed Shami has missed several crucial matches and series for the Men In Blue. The reason for the absence of Shami has been the ankle injury for which he was forced to undergo surgery.

Shami's rehabilitation program is going well, but it will take him some more time to return to action for the India National Cricket Team. The pacer was initially expected to make his comeback in the Test series against Bangladesh, which will commence on September 19. Rumors also stated that the pacer would feature in the Duleep Trophy, but that didn't happen as the BCCI selection committee didn't name him in any of the squads.

As Shami continues to build on his fitness, he has been ruled out of the Bangladesh Test series, and now he is eyeing a comeback to international cricket through the Test series against New Zealand.

The Indian team management is not planning to rush Mohammed Shami and they are taking a cautious approach with the superstar pacer as they want him to be at his absolute best in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

Mohammed Shami To Miss New Zealand Test Series Opener

According to the latest report in the Indian Express, Mohammed Shami is targeting the opening match of the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy for his return to action. The first match of Bengal will start on October 11 against Uttar Pradesh and the senior pacer will offer his services in the game.

Mohammed Shami's participation in the Ranji Trophy opener will rule him out of the New Zealand Test series opener, which will commence on October 16 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Hence, he could make his India comeback during the second or third Test against the Kiwis.

There is also an idea circulating about sending Shami directly to Australia with the India A team that is scheduled to play two four-day fixtures starting on October 31 and November 7 at Mackay and Melbourne.

Mohammed Shami has been working very hard at the NCA with an eye on his return and has been sharing numerous videos and pictures on social media platforms. With his social media updates, it looked like he would become fully fit very soon and bowl in full rhythm, but that isn't the case.

The BCCI will be adopting a similar formula for Mohammed Shami that they used to help Jasprit Bumrah make a smooth comeback to cricket from a career-threatening injury and then bowl in full rhythm by gradually increasing his workload.

Shami is expected to play a few practice matches at the National Cricket Academy once he becomes fully fit to bowl regularly in the nets.

“Since he hasn’t played in a while, he has to be integrated smoothly into the system. With Bumrah, we had the T20s in Ireland, which allowed us to increase his workload gradually. But with Shami, we are talking about Test cricket, where he has to bowl long spells. It will be a step-by-step process, and an Australia tour is the ultimate goal,” sources in the know told Indian Express.