India Cricket Team ace pacer Mohammed Shami is determined to make a strong comeback. After the conclusion of the IND vs NZ 1st Test in Bengaluru, Shami spent more than an hour bowling full tilt. Apart from his bowling spurts, Shami also underwent fielding drills, showcasing his determination to make a fast comeback.
Mohammed Shami has been out of the India team since November 2023, with his last match coming in the ODI World Cup Finals. Since then, he underwent ankle surgery and missed out on the IPL 2024 and the T20 World Cup. Reports claimed his recovery was further differed after he sustained a knee injury while practicing at the NCA.
The 34-year-old fast bowler had heavy strapping on his left knee but bowled at full tilt to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, with bowling coach Morne Morkel watching over the session. He did not look in any obvious discomfort, bowling almost continuously and only taking a break for the fielding drill close to the boundary.
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However, in Bengaluru Shami came heavily strapped on his knees but didn’t show any discomfort while bowling. He warmed up with a few slow deliveries before going full throttle to coach Abhishek Nayar. After a long bowling spell, Shami next took part in a fielding drill.
With 45 minutes of bowling under close observation from Morne Morkel and Abhishek Nayar, India will hope to get their ace pacer back in their mixes as soon as possible.
When will Shami make a comeback?
Initial reports claimed that Shami would miss the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy, before resuming action for Bengal. But that is highly unlikely now. Bengal will host Kerala for their third-round clash in the Ranji Trophy on 26th October. And as things stand, throwing Shami directly into the field will be a huge mistake.
While Shami continues to gain 100% fitness, he is most likely to continue his recovery at the NCA. But Team India will be hopeful of taking Shami to Australia for the highly anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy. Previously, Rohit Sharma claimed that they would wait for Shami to recover.
“We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us. He has not played any cricket for over a year. It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best. It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover and be 100% fit,” Rohit Sharma said previously.
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