The Team India Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar on Monday, July 22 addressed a press conference, answering several queries which had bundled up after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced squads for upcoming Sri Lanka tour. While speaking at the press conference in Mumbai, where he was joined by Team India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, Agarkar also shared an update on Mohammed Shami’s fitness.
The star Indian pacer, who has been out of action since India’s loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 final, is set to return in the Bangladesh series. Although, BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah also had confirmed earlier on Shami’s return, Agarkar to spoke of his return, hinting at his possible return date which mostly depends on National Cricket Academy (NCA)’s assessment.
“We more or less know who the guys are, there are some injuries at the moment and hope they will be back up. Shami has started to bowl, which is a good sign. September 19 is the first Test (against Bangladesh) and that was always the goal. I don’t know if that is his timeline for recovery, will have to ask the guys at the NCA about that,” Agarkar said in the presser.
The 33-year-old last appeared in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India where he finished as the highest wicket-taker. He then underwent a surgery on his Achilles tendon in February 2024 and has been under the care of BCCI at the NCA. Leading to the injury, he missed the South Africa Tests, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and even the T20 World Cup 2024.