India pacer Mohammed Shami will be rested for Bengal's opening Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Delhi.
Shami, looking to showcase full fitness with one eye on a potential return to the India Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was originally named in Bengal's 20-member squad for the List-A tournament. But now he will sit out of the match in Hyderabad on December 21.
On Wednesday, though, India Test captain Rohit Sharma had said in Brisbane that Shami was being troubled by swelling in his knee. He had also said that Shami would not be considered unless he is "200% fit" and that updates on his fitness should ideally come from the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
"I understand he's playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well," Rohit had said at the press conference. "So, look, the last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. You know what happens when that kind of thing happens.
"So, there is no way we want to take that chance unless we are like, not 100%, 200% sure, we're not going to take any risk. But yeah, like I said in the last press conference, the door is open if those guys at the NCA feel that he is okay to go and recover and play, we'll be happy to have him."
Shami has been under the Centre of Excellence's watch ever since he underwent ankle surgery in London this February. He had been on track for a comeback during the home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand and had even bowling full tilt before the start of India's domestic season in August but aggravated a knee problem while at rehab, which forced the BCCI to take a more cautious approach.
Since his return to the domestic fold, Shami has been under full-time monitoring by Nitin Patel, the Centre of Excellence's head of sports science. This team, headed by Patel, has been travelling around the country to monitor his progress and apprise the management of his progress.
If Shami cannot be fully fit for the penultimate Test in Melbourne or the final Test starting on January 3 - both of which now look unlikely - his next aim will be to be ready for India's Champions Trophy campaign early next year. That tournament is currently scheduled for a February 19 start.