India cricket team skipper Rohit Sharma countered pacer Mohammed Shami’s claims over his delayed comeback owing to fresh concerns amid his recovery. The veteran pacer has been on the sidelines since the ODI World Cup 2023 and is yet to make his comeback to competitive cricket. While reports had earlier surfaced that Shami had developed fresh swelling in his knees while he was recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), he had categorically rubbished such ‘baseless reports’. However, Rohit Sharma had a different point of view regarding the pacer’s current status.
Rohit Sharma counters Shami’s claims on fresh injury
Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of IND vs NZ 1st Test, skipper Rohit Sharma provided an update on Shami’s comeback. The Hitman opined that it was tough for the team to determine the exact date of the pacer’s return, given the fresh concern that came to the fore.
“To be honest, right now, it’s pretty difficult for us to make a call on him, whether he’ll be fit for this series or Australia series. He recently had swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual,” Rohit Sharma said.
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Weeks earlier, a Cricbuzz report had claimed that Shami had developed swelling in his knees while he was at rehab in the NCA. However, the pacer took to social media platform X later in the day to rubbish such reports. The veteran had claimed that he was working hard on making his comeback and urged his fans and the media to not spread such fake news with baseless rumours. However, Rohit Sharma’s claims at the pre-match press conference are contrary to what the pacer had to say previously.
While Shami was initially expected to make a comeback in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it looks like the bowler will be out of action for a longer time. In his absence, Akash Deep has cemented his position as a pacer in India’s Test team while other hopefuls including Yash Dayal, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav and Mukesh Kumar remain in the fray. India will next take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series from October 16, with Bengaluru set to host the 1st Test.
