Shami To Make Comeback In Asia Cup? Star Pacer Named In Bengal's List Of Probables
In what might come as a major boost to Mohammed Shami's inconsistent appearances in international cricket, the star pacer has been named in Bengal's list of probables for the upcoming domestic season, which might help him push for a spot again in India's international squad.
Shami can be a part of the East Zone in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, which begins on August 28, and that event, back to its old inter-zonal format, can mark his comeback to competitive cricket.
Shami, a veteran of 64 Tests, 108 ODIs and 25 T20Is, hasn't played for India since the Champions Trophy four months back.
India won the event, defeating New Zealand in the final, and Shami picked up nine wickets in five matches, the joint-highest for India with Varun Chakravarthy.
After that came the Indian Premier League, where Shami's new franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad, finished sixth, and he was not too brilliant either, picking up six wickets in nine matches and going at 11.23 every over.
All this came after a long layoff during which Shami had ankle surgery and suffered from knee-related niggles.
Shami came back for the T20I series at home against England in January after having last played for India in the ODI World Cup final in November 2023.
Shami's domestic comeback had been with Bengal in late last year. Besides him, the lineup of probables for Bengal includes all the expected names, including Abhimanyu Easwaran, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed and Abishek Porel.
Easwaran and Akash are currently in England with the Indian Test team. Shami's absence from the squad came as a slight surprise when the team was announced.
'We've sort of been trying to get him fit for the series, of course, but he's had a little bit of a setback over the last week or so. He's got some MRIs done. I don't think he was going to be able to play five Tests and at the moment, I don't think his workload is where it needs to be," chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said in May.
'It is just the medical guys who've told us that he's been ruled out of this series. We were hoping that he's available for some part of the series at least, but if he's not fit at the moment, it's very difficult to keep waiting," Agarkar added.
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First Published:
July 19, 2025, 12:46 IST
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