As Team India prepares to take on England in the upcoming five-match T20I series, the focus is firmly on veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami. The right-arm pacer has made his much-awaited return to the Indian team for the upcoming series.
He has not played for the Indian team since the 2023 World Cup finals in November 2023. He played the World Cup with an ankle injury and finished the competition as the top wicket-taker. However, Mohammed Shami had to pay a heavy price for playing while suffering from an injury as he had to undergo surgery and was ruled out for almost a year.
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He made a comeback to competitive cricket a few months ago and was also in contention to make the Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the selectors decided not to pick him in the Test squad before recalling him for the T20Is against England.
Mohammed Shami sweats:
He's BACK 💪🏻
Team India 🇮🇳
Mohd. Shami 😎
Eden Gardens 🏟️Simply perfect 👌🏻#TeamIndia | #WIN | @MdShami11 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/PwCuEOcaDA
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 20, 2025
Mohammed Shami, along with his India teammates, underwent a grueling three-hour training session on Sunday (January 19). Wearing heavy straps on his left knee, probably as a precaution, the India pacer started his bowling practice by running with short strides.
Later, he also participated in a field drill to test his knee. And it didn't take long for Mohammed Shami to allay any fears about his fitness as he bowled a fiery spell while taking a long run. According to a report in PTI, the fast bowler bowled to the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma in the nets and troubled them with pace and bounce.
Mohammed Shami played at full steam for nearly 45 minutes without needing assistance from the team's physio or strength and conditioning coach. After the bowling session, he was seen having a chat with bowling coach Morne Morkel.
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Mohammed Shami limping:
While Mohammed Shami did not appear in any discomfort while bowling in the nets, he left many worried by limping back to the dressing room. He later returned to the ground and was seen taking it easy with his old Bengal teammates as he carefully managed his heavily bandaged left knee.
Meanwhile, Shami has also been included in India's squad for next month's ICC Champions Trophy. With Jasprit Bumrah not fully fit, a fit Shami is very important for the Indian team.
“Anyway, I don't think his fitness had anything to do with white-ball cricket. We were trying to get him to Australia,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar told the press conference while announcing the 2025 Champions Trophy squad.
“Unfortunately, his knee has not allowed him to play cricket for four or five days. As for the white ball, I think he has played most of the Syed Mushtaq Ali games and some of the Vijay Hazare games.”