With the status of Mohammed Shami one of the key concerns for India, not only during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also heading into the future, every bit of news surrounding the experienced pacer is something Indian cricket fans will pay heavy attention to.

As per a Cricbuzz report, something of a taskforce has been stationed in Rajkot to keep tabs on the pacer’s recovery, to ensure that his rehabilitation from injury and return to competitive action is handled well, and whether a decision to send him to Australia can be made.

The BCCI has sent the head of the Sports Science wing Nitin Patel to monitor Shami, alongside selector SS Das and trainer Nishant Bardule. The team represents the NCA, where Shami undertook his rehabilitation process during his year away from competitive action following the 2023 ODI World Cup final.

Shami is currently with the Bengal team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament, having played one Ranji Trophy match for some red ball action in November. He faced a brief scare after being struck by the ball in a match against Madhya Pradesh, with Nitin Patel on hand to check on him, but thankfully seemed to be ready to go after the incident.

Shami's inclusion in BGT dependent on NCA decision

As per the report, the BCCI’s decision regarding whether or not to fly Shami out to Australia will depend on the go-ahead from the Sports Science team, who will determine whether Shami’s fitness would be able to stand up to the rigour of long spells in the Australian summer. The NCA group is reportedly keeping the selectors and Indian leadership involved with the information from Shami.

The concern remains Shami’s ankle, which kept him out of action for over a year, as well as some swelling in his knee which hampered his return to action for the national team. While his First Class preparation remains a concern, the NCA team is working under the impression that even the shorter spells in T20 will provide a look into Shami’s ability to deal with the intensity of handling workload, which remains the primary concern.

Shami will likely only join the team in the second half of the tour if at all, with his SMAT form also not shining through at the moment. While India will be happy to have his experience and x-factor on hand, his replacements in Harshit Rana and Akash Deep have impressed across the last few months, and will give plenty of depth options to Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma.

India begin the second Test of their campaign with a pink ball day-night Test match, set to be played at the Adelaide Oval.

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