Mohammed Shami, who was on his way to making a comeback into the national team, will have to wait a bit longer for his return. The India pacer has apparently done some damage to his leg, as a result of which his right knee has flared up. Weeks ahead of springing back into action, Shami is now down with a swollen knee, reported the Times of India, which could seriously derail his participation in the five-Test series against Australia starting November 24.

Shami hasn't played for India since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. Battling an ankle injury, Shami opted for surgery which ruled him out of the IPL 2024 and the T20 World Cup. Over the last couple of months, Shami has been constantly sharing images of him practicing, showing his progress on the road to recovery. He recently addressed his impending return, stressing on the importance of not rushing back in. Despite being away from action, his name continues to pop up every now and then, such as on Day 5 of the Kanpur Test, when Ravi Shastri mentioned him and the importance of having him around in Australia.

However, Shami's fresh setback could delay his comeback by another couple of months. "Shami had resumed bowling, and he was looking on track to make a comeback to competitive cricket soon. But this knee injury has flared up recently. BCCI's medical team is assessing the injury, but it may require quite a bit of time," a BCCI source told the daily.

"It's a jolt for the NCA medical team. They have been working on him for over a year. They have one of the best workload management systems in place. The medical team is trying its best to put him back in the park soon."

What if Shami can't make Australia tour?

The original plan for Shami – albeit tentatively – was to make a return at some point during the New Zealand series starting October 16, which would have given him some game time before embarking on the tour of Australia. But with a troubled knee, Shami is pretty much out of reckoning from India's next Test series. Upon reaching Australia, India play one warm-up game, which, it now seems, could be Shami's only shot. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will pretty much pick themselves in the XI, and with Akash Deep showing immense promise, his inclusion is likely too.

After 30 years, India will play a five-Test series Down Under for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the gruelling affair starting at Perth, where anything less than four pacers will be considered a tactical blunder. Shami was believed to be an integral part of India's bowling unit given the need to rotate the pacers. Making Bumrah play all five Tests could be risky: same for Siraj. This is where Shami could have played a pivotal role, but with him doubtful, India could turn to Yash Dayal, Arshdeep Singh or even Mukesh Kumar if push comes to shove.

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