Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami is making good progress in recovering from an ankle injury that has kept him away from cricket since the ODI World Cup in November. It is expected that he will be able to play in India’s home season, starting with a Test series against Bangladesh in September. The selectors have been informed about Shami’s recovery, and a decision on whether he should play in one of the Duleep Trophy matches, starting on September 5 in Anantapur, to show he is fit enough will be made soon.
Shami is now in the last part of his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
He started bowling again last month for the first time since his surgery and has been slowly increasing his bowling practice, with no pain reported.
Before India left for their trip to Sri Lanka in July, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Shami has begun bowling and mentioned that the first Test match against Bangladesh on September 19 in Chennai would be his target for returning to the team.
Ajit Agarkar talked about this as reported by ESPNcricinfo, “We basically know who the players are, but there are some injuries right now and we hope they will recover. Shami has started bowling again, which is a positive sign. The first Test on September 19 was always the plan for his return. I’m not sure if that’s his exact timeline for recovery, I’ll need to ask the people at the NCA about that.”
Agarkar also stressed the need for strong fast bowlers because of the busy Test schedule coming up.
He mentioned, “There are many Test matches ahead. We will need a strong group of fast bowlers. Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj have been playing for a while, they are the clear choices. But we will discuss this further. There is a lot of first-class cricket coming up, so we can prepare the players.”
This highlights the importance of having a strong group of fast bowlers who can be switched out to prevent overwork and injuries.
At the end of last month in Kolkata, Shami said he wanted to play for Bengal first before coming back to the national team. He also joined in casual talks about motivation and fitness with players from his state.
Even if Shami can’t play in some or all of India’s home Test matches, which include two against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand, he has plenty of time to get back into his best bowling shape for the trip to Australia.
The team will leave soon after the third Test against New Zealand finishes on November 5. Also, the Ranji Trophy starts in October, and India’s A team will play two first-class matches in Australia from October 31, giving Shami many chances to improve his performance.
Shami’s ankle injury, noticed shortly after the 2023 ODI World Cup, was first thought to be minor. But because it kept swelling, doctors decided he needed surgery. This means he won’t be able to play in the home Test matches against England in February-March or in the IPL 2024 for Gujarat Titans.
Shami played a big part in helping India reach the final of the ODI World Cup. He took 24 wickets in seven games, averaging 10.70 and having a strike rate of 12.20.
As Shami gets closer to being fully healed, his comeback will be a big help for India’s fast bowling team as they prepare for a busy season at home and the trip to Australia.
