Last updated:November 30, 2024, 1:58 PM IST

Mohammed Shami suffered an injury while playing for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Maharashtra.

Mohammed Shami has been out of international cricket for 11 months. (PTI photo)

Just when you thought Mohammed Shami had overcome all his injury problems and looked set for a comeback to the Indian team, he suffered a worrying injury setback while playing for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Madhya Pradesh.

Bengal, led by Sudip Kumar Gharami, set a target of 190 runs and looked to take the game deep. Shami who bowled the penultimate over, reportedly tried to stop the ball with his foot which resulted in the pacer falling. After the fall, he was a little uncomfortable and was seen holding his lower back.

BCCI’s Center of Excellence medical panel, Nitin Patel, immediately entered the field to do his checks but saw no serious injuries. He was brought in to track Shami and his fitness.

Shami is working towards full fitness after a long layoff from international cricket. He has not played an international since the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad.

Earlier reports suggested that if Shami were to pass all the fitness tests, he could be flown to Australia to join the Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But it is also suggested that BCCI does not want to take unnecessary risks.

The veteran bowler has been a mainstay in the Indian fast bowling setup along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. But the Indian team is leaving no stone unturned as they have looked at more younger options like Harshit Rana who has chipped in with a handy contribution on his Test debut in Perth.

As for Bengal, they lost the match against Maharashtra with six wickets and two balls to spare thanks to some fine knock by skipper Rajat Patidar who scored 68 off 40 and Subhranshu Senapati’s 50 off 33 balls respectively.

Bengal are currently third in Group A after the fourth round of play. They will play Meghalaya next Sunday at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Bengal and the BCCI management will be hoping that Shami can get past any injury issues and come back to the field and bowl.

India will also prepare for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide which will be a pink ball game starting from December 6-10.