Sunil Gavaskar discusses Mohammed Shami's possible return for Brisbane Test
What's the story
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has raised doubts over Mohammed Shami's return to the Indian squad for the upcoming third Test against Australia.
The match will start on December 14 at The Gabba, Brisbane.
This is because Shami hasn't played international cricket since last year's ODI World Cup final against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Here are further details.
Comeback journey
Shami's return to competitive cricket
Shami made his return to competitive cricket recently through Ranji Trophy and then played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
He is likely to get his fitness certificate from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) soon, a prerequisite to being cleared for the ongoing five-match Test series.
However, Gavaskar hinted India could include Shami from the fourth Test onwards, starting December 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Expert opinion
Gavaskar's take on Shami's return
Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar admitted Shami's world-class bowling skills but was worried about his timely arrival for the third Test.
He said, "It might be a little bit difficult for him to be in Australia in time for the third Test, which is starting next week."
Gavaskar, who has a lot of respect and regard for Shami, thinks it could be tough to include him in the squad at this stage.
Fitness evaluation
Shami's fitness under scrutiny
Shami's fitness is under the watchful eyes of BCCI's Bengaluru-based Centre of Excellence, which is yet to give a conclusive report.
A team from NCA, including national selector SS Das and BCCI's Sports Science head Nitin Patel, had earlier visited Rajkot to check Shami's performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Despite his brilliant performances in the tournament, can he handle Test cricket after a long injury-break?
Player assessment
Gavaskar defends Harshit Rana's performance
Meanwhile, Gavaskar also defended fast bowler Harshit Rana's performance in the Adelaide Test, saying that his struggles were due to inexperience with the pink ball.
He hinted that for the Brisbane Test, there could be a toss-up between Harshit and Akash Deep.
Despite leaking 86 runs in 16 overs in Australia's first innings without making a breakthrough, Gavaskar stood by the fact that Rana had done well in his debut game.