“Right now, it is quite difficult for us to decide whether he will be fit for this series or the Australia series,” Rohit said on the eve of Bharat’s first Test against Brandnew Zealand in Bengaluru. “He recently had a setback: he had swelling in his knee, which was quite unusual.
“He was in the process of being a match (close to 100%) and had swelling in his knee. That made him go back on his medication a little bit, so he needed to start over without being touched.”
Shami then underwent surgery in London earlier this year and would have been in contention for Australia’s five-match series starting next month, but the latest blow has set him back further. While Shami is at the NCA working with the physios as things stand, Rohit also said that India did not want to risk taking him to Australia when he is not fully fit.
“He is currently in the NCA, he is operating with the physiotherapists, [and] “The NCA doctors,” Rohit said. “We’re keeping our hands crossed. We want it to be compliant; we want it to be 100%. More than anything, we don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. This is not the right decision for us.”
After almost a year away from international cricket, Rohit also suggested that it would be difficult for Shami to get back into the thick of things.
“He hasn’t played any cricket for over an hour. It’s quite difficult for a fast bowler to have ignored so much cricket and then unexpectedly come out and be at his best,” Rohit said. “It is not preferred. We will want to give him a lot of years to recover and be 100% compatible.
“The physios, the trainers, [and] The doctors have outlined a roadmap for him. He is supposed to play a couple of matches before playing international cricket. We’ll see where he is after this New Zealand series and then answer which stage in Australia. [series] He will be fit for us.”
Bharat has 8 checks left within the WTC transmission cycle. They play a three-match series against Brandnew Zealand on November 22, and will travel to Australia for five tests on November 22.
