Mohammed Shami is back and how. The speedster has fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of competitive cricket for more than a year. The 34-year-old has now given the selectors a lot to ponder regarding whether he should be boarding the next flight to Australia for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

It was speculated that Shami would be on the flight to Australia once he played the Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh. In the game, Shami returned with seven wickets, showcasing proper match fitness.

However, one match did not prove to be enough. The pacer was then named in Bengal's squad for the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Trophy. He has now placed six T20s in the last 11 days.

Out of the possible 24 overs, Shami has delivered 23.3 overs, taking five wickets in the premier domestic T20 tournament. Three of these five scalps came against Hyderabad.

Shami has also shown respectable form as he has been economical in three matches. In the remaining three, the seasoned India pacer conceded more than 35 runs.

Bengal will play their next match against Rajasthan in Rajkot on Thursday and if Shami is selected in the playing XI then this would be his seventh T20 in 13 days.

This workload is proof enough that Shami has fully recovered from injury and he should be making his way Down Under for the last three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Can Shami's body hold up for the last three Australia Tests?

Speaking of the ongoing series against Australia, there was a huge 10-day gap between the first two Tests and many believed that this was the ideal chance of having Shami travel to Australia and make himself available for the Adelaide Test.

If Shami is named in the India squad for the remaining three Tests then the test would be whether his body manages to hold him. The matches in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney would come up really fast.

India and Australia are slated to play three Tests in 23 days. The Brisbane Test will be played from December 14-18 while the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is slated to go ahead between December 26-30.

The New Year's Test, the last of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, will be played from January 3-7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

If selectors indeed name Shami in the squad then managing his workload would be the top priority. However, the pacer has made a case for himself by playing six competitive matches in 11 days.

Shami's last international match came in November 2023 as he played for India in the 50-over World Cup final against Australia.

Meanwhile, in Test cricket, Shami last played in the longest format for India in June 2023, when he locked horns with Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

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