India unlikely to risk Mohammed Shami for South Africa Tests with 2016 World Twenty20 in mind

Mohammed Shami has not played competitive cricket since the 2015 World Cup

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are unlikely to take a risk with regards to the fitness of India’s premier fast bowler Mohammed Shami with the 2016 World Twenty20 less than five months away, IBNLive reports.

Shami was an instrumental figure in India’s run to the semifinal stage of the 2015 ICC World Cup picking up 17 wickets. However, the 25-year-old has not played any cricket since the loss against Australia in the last-four clash at Sydney as he has been sidelined with a knee injury.

He has undergone a successful knee surgery for the same and was part of the 30-player camp that the BCCI held at Bangalore ahead of the series against South Africa. He has stayed back at Bangalore since and has started his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

There were reports suggesting that Shami could be in contention for a spot in the Indian Test side for the final two matches against the Proteas, but if the words of Shami's childhood coach Badruddin Siddique are to be believed, the fast bowler is unlikely to feature anytime soon for India as he is still a long way off from being fully fit.

“I spoke to Shami sometime back and he said that he is now around 60-70 per cent fit. He is still not bowling full tilt. There is a possibility that he might be match-fit by the time of the final Test against South Africa in Delhi (starting December 3). But I heard that the team management has told him that they need him for Australia tour and World T20 next year and would not like to take any risk," Siddique told PTI on Tuesday.

He reemphasized that the BCCI was thinking long-term when it came to Shami’s injury and revealed Shami himself is confident that he will be fully fit for the tour to Australia early next year.

"Shami is confident that he will be hundred percent match fit by the time the limited overs series is held in Australia in January. After that, there is the big event, World T20. The feedback that he has got is that 'we would be happy to get you during the last Test, but we can't miss you for the World T20',” he said. “Shami is working towards that."

Shami, who plays for Bengal in the domestic circuit is expected to play his first competitive match in more than eight months in the final group league encounter of the Ranji Trophy against Assam which begins on December 1.