India's star pace bowler has celebrated his comeback to competitive cricket after 360 days with a stunning four-wicket haul in the ongoing Ranji Trophy clash against Madhya Pradesh. After delivering 10 wicketless overs on the opening day, Shami played a crucial role in skittling MP for just 167 runs in the first innings.
He sent down nine overs on the second day and looked threatening right from the word go. He dismissed MP skipper Shubman Sharma, Saransh Jain, Kumar Kartikeya and Kulwant Khejroliya as Bengal took an important 61-run lead in the first innings. Overall, Shami returned with the figures of 4/54 in 19 overs much to the delight of not only the Bengal team but also the Indian team which is currently in Australia.
Shami's performance on the comeback bodes well for the team ahead of the Australia tour. Even though he hasn't been picked in the squad for the five-match Test series starting November 22, there is a chance that he will get added to the squad with around a 10-day gap between the first Test and the second Test.
It remains to be seen how he copes with the workload now having bowled 19 overs with the bowling in the second innings pending yet. In case, Shami proves his match fitness with a decent effort in the second essay, he could be added to India's squad for the Test series down under. The first Test in Perth is scheduled to end on November 26 and the pink ball Test in Adelaide will only commence on December 6.
India are also scheduled to play a two-day practice match against the Prime Minister's XI to get used to the pink ball. If added, Shami can fly to Australia during the opening Test and feature in the warm-up game with pink ball before walking into the playing XI for the second Test.
