Kolkata. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is waiting to go on the Australia tour, is probably not fully fit. Therefore, he has been rested in the initial matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. Earlier, he was testing his fitness by playing a Ranji Trophy match for Bengal and then the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament. But despite this, he has not been able to convince the NCA medical team that he is fully fit.

Now the news of him being rested in the ODI tournament is once again fuelling speculations that Shami's fitness is not yet right. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) made this announcement on Thursday. Shami, who last played for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, returned to domestic cricket after a long time after ankle surgery.

He has been recovering from the injury at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru since then. He made a brilliant comeback for Bengal, taking 7 wickets and helping the team to its first win of this Ranji Trophy season. He took nine wickets in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, the swelling in his knee, which occurred during the domestic T20 competition, is still a matter of concern.

Rohit Sharma looked annoyed when he was repeatedly asked about Shami's availability after the drawn third Test in Brisbane. He said, 'I think someone from the NCA (National Cricket Academy) should talk to him about where he is doing rehabilitation. They need to come and give us some updates.'

Rohit said, 'I understand that he is playing a lot of cricket at home but there are some concerns about his knee as well. We will not take any risk until we are 200 percent sure about his fitness.'

Shami's participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy is seen as an important step towards determining his availability for upcoming international tournaments, including the Champions Trophy. Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar, one of the reserve bowlers in Australia, is also part of the Bengal team led by Sudip Kumar Gharami.