BRISBANE: India captain Rohit Sharma, when quizzed about veteran pacer Mohammed Shami’s availability for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, said it all depends on the National Cricket Academy's (NCA) clearance.
Speaking after India’s draw in the third Test against Australia at the Gabba, Rohit left the question of Shami’s fitness availability in the hands of the NCA, where the ace pacer is undergoing rehabilitation after ankle surgery in November 2023.
"I think it's high time somebody from NCA talked about him. That's our national cricket academy where he is rehabbing. Those guys are the ones who need to come up and give us some kind of update. But look, I understand he's playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well, " Rohit said in the post-match press conference.
"The last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. You know what happens when that kind of thing happens, " Rohit quipped, referring to the disruption caused by mid-series injuries.
Shami, who has been out of international action since India’s ODI World Cup Final in November 2023, has worked his way back through domestic cricket. After surgery and an intensive rehabilitation program, the experienced pacer made a competitive return in the Ranji Trophy, followed by an impressive outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Despite Shami’s domestic success, the Indian team management is reluctant to risk his fitness without a clear green light from the NCA. Rohit reiterated that only a 200 percent assurance from the academy would prompt the team to bring him into the squad.
"There's no way we want to take that chance unless we are like, not a hundred percent, 200 hundred percent sure. We're not going to take any risk. But yeah, like I said in the last press conference, the door is open. If those guys at the NCA feel that he's okay to go and recovered and play, I will be happy to have him, " he added.
India’s current bowling attack has relied heavily on Jasprit Bumrah, who has carried the bulk of the workload in the series. Across the three Tests so far, Bumrah has bowled extended spells and delivered impactful performances but has lacked significant support from fellow pacers Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Harshit Rana.