Shami picked for SA series preparatory camp

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who has not played international cricket since the World Cup in February-March, has been picked among 30 cricketers to be part of a preparatory camp ahead of the series against South Africa.

Shami had suffered a knee injury early on the tour of Australia from December 2014, but had bowled through the pain. He missed only two games across four Tests, four ODIs in a tri-series with Australia and England and then eight matches in the World Cup. He went for surgery upon returning home and had spent his rehabilitation period at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

This training camp, also to be held in Bangalore from September 21 to 27, will be the first time Shami will be back with the India team in five months.

The rest of the 30 members include the core of the Indian team along with the fringe players who have already tasted international cricket. Karun Nair, the Karnataka batsman, is the only uncapped player although he had been with the Test team in Sri Lanka. Wriddhiman Saha and M Vijay, who had to come home after the P Sara Test due to hamstring injuries, are also in the mix.

Ravindra Jadeja, who was chosen as part of the India A squad to play a three-day game against Bangladesh A from September 27, also finds a spot. The final day of the camp clashes with the first day of that fixture, and Jadeja, Ojha, Nair, Shikhar Dhawan and Varun Aaron are in both squads.

Jadeja is one of three left-arm spinners along with Pragyan Ojha and Axar Patel in the 30-man training squad. Harbhajan Singh has also included, indicating he still remains on the selectors’ radar.

India squad for preparatory camp

Batsmen: Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Karun Nair, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey

Wicketkeepers MS Dhoni, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha

Allrounders: Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja

Spinners R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Karn Sharma

Seamers Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni