Border Gavaskar Trophy, Mohammed Shami: The beleaguered Indian team during the challenging tour of Australia is likely to get the services of Mohammed Shami as the experienced pacer made a stunning comeback from injury by taking four wickets in a Ranji Trophy match on Thursday. Shami, who played his first red-ball match after more than a year, bowled four spells in 57 overs bowled in Madhya Pradesh's first innings while playing for Bengal and took four wickets for 54 runs in 19 overs with four maidens.

He dismissed Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma, all-rounder Saransh Jain and two tail-enders. Out of these four, three batsmen were bowled while one was caught by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha after the ball touched his bat. This is very good news for the Indian team, but the national selection committee will also see how he bowls in the second innings and whether he is in any pain or swelling at the end of this match being played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

If he passes all the criteria, it is almost certain that he will join pacer Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the second day-night Test. The Ranji Trophy match will end on November 16 and he is likely to join the team ahead of the first Test, which begins in Perth on November 22. If Shami goes, he will get to play a two-day day-night practice match against the Prime Minister's XI. More than the wickets taken on Thursday, the team management and the national selection committee along with the Sports Science and Medicine team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) want to see how his body is behaving.

Shami has not played any competitive match since the ODI World Cup final on November 19 last year. He had undergone ankle surgery. He was about to return for the three-Test series against New Zealand when the senior fast bowler suffered swelling in his knee which delayed his return. It is understood that despite the announcement of the 18-member team for Australia, the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar and the team management will include Shami in the team only when Dr. Nitin Patel, head of the BCCI's medical and sports science team, declares him fit.

A Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) source told PTI that national selection committee member Ajay Ratra along with National Cricket Academy (NCA) medical team head Patel had come especially to watch Shami bowl. The 'feedback' regarding him will be sent to selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, captain Rohit Sharma, and head coach Gautam Gambhir before a final decision is taken. A BCCI source said, "Obviously Shami was asked to play his game as the next round of Ranji Trophy will start only on January 23 after the Test season ends.

He said, "So the selectors had only one match to check his fitness. He has bowled 19 overs in several spells and fielded most of the 57 overs. He has bowled 90 'dot' balls. But he will have to bowl and field again in the second innings. Suppose he bowls 15 to 18 overs more in the second innings, then it will be a good number. "The source said, "But the biggest test will be whether he feels any pain again after four days or not. If the NCA medical team gives a green signal to his fitness, then obviously he will join the team before the second Test. "