Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel has said Mohammad Shami's comeback to competitive Cricket is a big win for team India ahead of high-octane Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Mohammad Shami
Speaking ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth, Morkel acknowledged the impact Shami can have for the team and also added that the team management isn't rushing to fetch him in.

"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, who sustained an ankle injury during his incredible run at last year’s Cricket World Cup in India, played his first competitive game in a year’s time last week in Ranji Trophy.

"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."

Shami has 229 wickets only from 64 Tests under his belt, and is the frontline pacer for India.