Mohammed Shami hasn’t yet recovered from his ankle injury. It’s been over 11 months since the pacer last took the field for a match, and although his comeback plan is in motion, nothing’s certain. Shami was supposed to return much earlier, but setbacks during rehab have kept him out of action.
How positive Pant helped Shami
During these months, Shami struggled. From being one of the best athletes in the world to not being able to run properly. These trying times were made easy by Rishabh Pant. Shami met his teammate at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), and that seemed to have changed how the pacer looked at life during his recovery. Although seven years his senior, Shami revealed that he learned something important from the wicketkeeper batter.
Pant had himself suffered quite a bit. An unfortunate car accident left him with multiple injuries and questions over his return to cricket. Pant was out of action for 18 months, but he never got despondent. Shami describes how, during these trying times, he never once saw Pant with a glum look on his face. It was Pant’s positive outlook that helped Shami remain positive and patient during his rehab.
“I had spent time with Rishabh (Pant) at the National Cricket Academy, where he was doing the rehab after his injury. I have seen the images, which were so scary. What inspired me the most was that I never saw him sad. All his ligaments were broken, but he continued his rehab with a laugh on his face. It was a massive learning experience for me as well. His positive attitude taught me the importance of patience,” Shami said.
Shami’s comeback plan
Right now, the pacer is looking to represent Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. He’s started to bowl at full tilt and aims to test his fitness in first-class cricket before travelling to Australia for the 5-match Test series. With India set to leave for the tour around November 9-12, Shami can face Kerala (October 26-29) in Kolkata and Karnataka (November 6-9) in Bengaluru.
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