Scott Boland is eager to go back on the Sheffield Shield and challenge for a position in Australia’s Test team after an injury-plagued summer. He aims to wear the Baggy Green in the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India.

This Saturday at the MCG, in a star-studded match between Victoria and New South Wales, Boland will make his Shield comeback.

The 35-year-old has been out due to two injuries: a niggle in his left knee and a rupture in his plantar fascia in his right foot. The pacer, however, is now motivated to show that he merits a chance to play against India, a squad with whom he has previously shown his mettle in crucial situations.

“There may be some rust in the first game back, but that’s OK. I’m aware that after I come back to work, there could be a period of rust, but ideally after that, I’ll be back to work and bowling really well. I feel quite secure. Over the last four or five months, I’ve worked so hard on my physique. I think I can handle everything a Shield game throws at me,” Boland said to cricket.com.au.

Boland’s comeback will be keenly monitored, particularly in light of his possible call-up for India’s highly anticipated Boxing Day Test, which is the fourth Test match of the country’s five-match Test series in Australia, at the MCG. In the 2022 Ashes, he memorably claimed 6-7 at the same location against England. He intends to replicate similar exploits against India in front of a boisterous crowd.

“That would be fantastic. We faced them in the Test Championship (final) in London last year as well as in India. Playing them here at the ‘G would be really awesome, in my opinion. Indian supporters follow their team wherever they go and travel. It would be great to be a part of that game, and there will be a sizable audience here,” he said.

Boland last played for Australia on their tour of the United Kingdom in the previous year, when he was instrumental in the team’s victory against India in the World Test Championship final.

Boland understands he has plenty of time to gain momentum before the Test summer as he gets ready for his Shield comeback. “When I consider the wider picture, I still have plenty of time to finish the season. “How do I set myself up for the rest of the season and the next couple of years if I miss a game or two here?” was my thinking. “I guess I went for the slower route,” the pacer said.

With his efforts, he hopes to get back into the running for the Test series. “I don’t want to miss too many games—I’ve already missed three games (for Victoria), but there’s still heaps of cricket coming up before the Test summer,” he said.