IND vs AUS: Morkel explains why Shami didn't find a place in India squad

India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel views Mohammed Shami’s return to competitive cricket, highlighted by a seven-wicket performance in the Ranji Trophy, as a "massive win" for the team. 

 

Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in Perth, Morkel recognized Shami's potential impact but emphasized that the Indian team management is not rushing his recovery.  Check IND vs AUS 1st Test Day 2 LIVE SCORE AND MATCH UPDATES HERE 

 

"We’re definitely keeping a close eye (on him). Shami is a world class bowler. But also, on the same page, we need to understand that he has been out of the game for almost a year. And we also need to respect him and his body,” Morkel said.  Shami returns to domestic cricket with a bang

 

Shami, who sustained an ankle injury during his remarkable performance at last year’s ODI World Cup, made his first professional appearance in a year last week in the Ranji Trophy, India’s top first-class competition.

 

The 34-year-old, with 229 wickets from 64 Tests, played a crucial role with 7 wickets in Bengal’s 11-run victory over Madhya Pradesh.

 

“For us, it’s a massive win for us that he's back playing. It was a great win for him picking up wickets in the first game,” Morkel said.

 

“So how can we give him the best support? How can we give him the best opportunity to find his way back into the team? It's about being patient and giving his body to find its feet again with red-ball, white-ball, whatever format it might be. We are working closely with people back home. Glad to see him back on the field." he added.