Rohit Sharma Says "Don't Want To Bring Mohammed Shami To Australia". Explains Why

Mohammed Shami's inclusion in the Indian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia is in jeopardy.

India's Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma delivered a bitter piece of news on Tuesday as he addressed the media ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. Rohit, asked about the rehabilitation status of pacer Mohammed Shami, all but confirmed that the pacer would not be travelling with the team to Australia for the 5-match Border-Gavaskar Test series. Shami has been away from cricketing duties since the 2023 ODI World Cup. On multiple occasions, the veteran pacer was touted to make his return but only encountered roadblocks.

Speaking to the reporters in Bengaluru, Rohit confirmed that he isn't keen to bring Shami to Australia for the Test series even if he is fit. The reason behind this decision is the fact that Shami is 'undercooked', having not played cricket for a long time.

"To be honest, it is difficult to make a call on him for the Australia series. He had a setback and had swelling in his knees. That put him back a little bit and had to start again. He's at the NCA with doctors and physios. We don't want to bring undercooked Shami to Australia. We are keeping our fingers crossed," Rohit said.

"He was in the process of getting fit, getting close to 100 per cent, he had swelling in his knee, that put him back a little bit in his recovery. So, he had to start again. Right now, he's at NCA, he's working with the physios and the doctors at NCA," he added.

Rohit even said that the team management wants Shami to regain full fitness before returning to the national team.