Rohit Sharma on Mohammed Shami's return: Doors are open in the team, but…
"We want Shami to return to the team only after he is fully fit, it is important to avoid haste," Rohit Sharma gave an update on Shami's condition.
After India's 10-wicket defeat in the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide, Indian captain Rohit Sharma said about Mohammad Shami's return that the team's doors are completely open for him in Australia but he wants Shami to return to the team only after he is fully fit. The team is not in any hurry regarding him. Rohit also told about another injury suffered by Shami.
In the Perth Test, due to Jasprit Bumrah's excellent bowling, the Indian team was able to make a comeback against Australia even in a difficult situation. But in Adelaide, India felt that Bumrah needs the support of another bowler to carry forward the pressure he is creating.
When Rohit was asked about Shami's availability during the press conference, he said, "The doors of the team are always open for Shami. We are constantly monitoring him. While playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, his knee got swollen again. Due to that, the preparation he is doing to play the Test match has been slightly affected. We want to be very cautious with him. It should not happen that he is brought into the team and again he faces some problem. We want him to return to the team only after he is completely fit. We do not want any kind of pressure to be put on him to perform well for the team."
"He has been away from Test cricket for a long time. Some professionals are constantly monitoring him. Whenever he plays a match, his fitness is monitored before and after that. We want to be very cautious about his return and in terms of his fitness."
Shami has not played a match for India since the ODI World Cup final in November 2023. He then underwent surgery for an ankle injury in February. After facing some difficulties during recovery, Shami returned to the field in November this year by taking seven wickets in a Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh.
Shami then played seven matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, taking eight wickets in 27.3 overs. Although it is not yet officially confirmed whether he has been allowed to go to Australia or not, it is expected that if there are no further obstacles to his recovery, he can join the team at some stage.