India’s veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s last Test appearance came in the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023 against Australia. Shami then suffered an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup and was ruled out for a long time.

Shami made a comeback to the Indian team for the Champions Trophy and scalped nine wickets in five matches to play an instrumental role in the team’s success.

However, Shami was not picked for the five-match Test series against England due to fitness woes. Shami has been selected for the East Zone team in the Duleep Trophy, and he would look to hit the ground running.

“First of all, he wasn’t dropped because of form. Fitness issues are the only reason why he couldn’t travel to England,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

“After missing the last tour of Australia, his presence was pretty much needed for the England series. The selectors had also spoken to him before finalising the squad, but he didn’t sound too confident. That much-needed assurance from him was missing,” the insider added.

As per the source, Shami’s Test future is not over, and it will depend on how he performs in the domestic season.

“One also needs to know if Shami himself is keen on making a comeback in the longest format,” the source said.

“What we need to see is whether he’ll play even if East Zone clears the quarter-final stage and continues to make progress. Will his body permit it, given his dodgy knee and hamstring? In the Ranji game, he used to bowl three-four overs in a spell and go off the ground. So, whether his body can take the rigours of a multi-day game goes on and on to be a tricky question,” the BCCI source added.

India’s next Test assignment is the two-match series against the West Indies at home.