As Team India gears up to take on England in the upcoming five-match T20I series, the focus is firmly on veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami. The right-arm pacer makes his much-awaited return to the Indian team in the upcoming series.
He has not played for Team India since the 2023 World Cup Final in November 2023. He played the World Cup due to an ankle injury and went on to finish the competition as the highest wicket-taker. But Mohamed Al-Shami had to pay a high price to play while suffering from an injury, as he underwent surgery and was absent from the field for nearly a year.
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He made his return to competitive cricket a couple of months ago and was also in contention to make it into the Indian team to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the selectors decided not to select him in the Test squad before calling him up for the T20Is against England.
Muhammad Al-Shami is sweating:
He's back 💪🏻
Team India 🇮🇳
Mohammed. Al-Shami
Eden Gardens 🏟️Just perfect 👌🏻#TeamIndia | #INVENG | @MdShami11 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/PwCuEOcaDA
– Bank of Credit and Commerce International (@BCCI) January 20, 2025
Mohammed Shami along with his Indian teammates underwent a grueling three-hour training session on Sunday (January 19). With heavy straps on his left knee, perhaps as a precaution, the Indian pacer began his bowling training by jogging in short strides.
Later, he also participated in a field exercise to test his knee. It did not take long for Mohammed Al-Shami to dispel all concerns about his fitness as he unleashed a fiery spell while running for a long time. According to a report in PTI, the fast bowler bowled the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma in the nets and troubled them with pace and bounce.
Mohammed Al-Shami threw at full strength for approximately 45 minutes without needing assistance from the team's physiotherapist or strength and conditioning coach. After the bowling session, he was seen having a discussion with bowling coach Morne Morkel.
Muhammad Al-Shami limping:
While Mohamed Al-Shami did not appear to be in any trouble as he played the ball into the net, he was left with plenty of worry when he limped back to the dressing room. Later, he returned to the ground and was seen gingerly tackling his old Bengal teammates while carefully handling his heavily bandaged left knee.
Meanwhile, Shami has also been included in India's squad for next month's ICC Champions Trophy. With Jasprit Bumrah not fully fit, Shami's fit is very important for Team India.
“I don't think his fitness had anything to do with white-ball cricket anyway. We were trying to get him to Australia,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said at the press conference while announcing the squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
“Unfortunately, his knee did not allow him to play cricket for four or five days. As far as the white ball is concerned, I think he played most of Syed Mushtaq Ali's matches and some of Vijay Hazare's matches.”
