Mohammed Shami Fitness Update: Senior Pacer to Return For India vs Bangladesh Test Series? Agarkar Reveals

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Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has given a very positive update on senior pacer Mohammed Shami's fitness, saying the aim is to have him back for the India vs Bangladesh Test series in September.

Shami has been sidelined since the ODI World Cup 2023 in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker. The right-arm pacer missed a lot of action for the national team with a right heel injury.

The 33-year-old underwent surgery on his on his Achilles tendon in February earlier this year, and has since been under the careful supervision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The injury that required surgery forced Shami to miss several bilateral series, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, and the ICC T20 World Cup. However, in a boost to the team, the pacer was seen back bowling in the nets earlier this month.

Shami had shared a video on Instagram of himself cautiously bowling in the nets. The senior pacer will need to get medical clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to make a return to competitive cricket.

And now, the chief selector Agarkar has revealed that Shami could be back for the home Test series against Bangladesh in September depending on the assessment provided by the NCA.

"He (Mohammad Shami) has started to bowl. The first test against Bangladesh is on September 19. That was always the goal (he was making a comeback by that time). Whether he can make it back to the squad by that time, I'll have to speak with the guys at the NCA," Agarkar said at the press conference.

If he does make his comeback, Shami will be returning to action after nearly a year, having missed action since November 2023. The 33-year-old will boost the Indian pace bowling ranks even further as they push for a third successive World Test Championship final.

India, who are set to play in white ball games for the next few weeks, will resume their red ball action in WTC 2023-25 cycle with a 2-Test series at home against Bangladesh, starting from September 19, 2024.