Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is on the path to full recovery, having been on the sidelines for almost a year since the last ODI World Cup. Shami, who played the latter part of the World Cup with the injury, underwent Achilles Heel surgery in February earlier this year and is closing in on full fitness. Shami has started bowling, however, the veteran pacer doesn’t want to take any chances saying that he will return only after attaining full fitness.
“Koshish jaldi hi kar raha hoon kyunki main janta hoon kaafi time ho gaya hai team se bahar rehte hue (I am working hard to make a comeback soon because I know I have been out of action for quite some time),” Shami said at the Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB) annual awards ceremony. “However, I want to ensure there is no discomfort when I return. I’ve to work on my fitness, so that there is no discomfort.”
India missed Mohammed Shami on the two-match Test tour of South Africa and the team will hope that the pacer is fully fit for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. However, Shami isn’t perturbed by the series he makes a comes from. If he is fully fit by the time New Zealand series begins, he may return next month as well.
“The stronger I return, the better it is for me. I don’t want to rush and risk getting injured again, be it against Bangladesh, New Zealand or the Australia series. I’ve already started bowling, but I won’t take any chances until I am 100% fit,” Shami added while saying that even if he has to play domestic cricket to test his fitness, he will.
“What matters most is that I am fully ready for whatever comes next, regardless of the opposition or format,” Shami added. Shami was also quick to say that India are favourites for the BGT mentioning that it should be the Australians who should worry about the Test series given they haven’t won it since 2017.