Shami Ready For Comeback

Mohammad Shami has been out of the picture since the World Cup of 2015.  He is now returning after 9 months off due to knee surgery.  If he returns in the same form and ability as before, he will slot into the Indian pace bowling line up of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar quite nicely forming a formidable quintet that should do well all around the world.

For two months, he was confined to his room. The world outside was not really cut off, but fast bowler Mohammed Shami was advised complete bed rest by his doctor. Known for his speed and accuracy, the India pace spearhead endured a tough nine months after undergoing a knee surgery soon after the 2015 World Cup.

For someone, who has spent the majority of his time on the cricket field, the Bengal bowler was on crutches for 40 days. “It was the toughest phase of my career. I was not even allowed to get out of the bed. The only time I was allowed to put my foot on the ground was for bathroom breaks. Not being able to play cricket only made it worse. I wish that I never go through such a time again. It was really irritating,” said Shami recalling the dark phase.

The fast bowler said the injury period and the rehab that followed required patience and immense mental strength. “It is difficult to explain what I went through. I had to be patient and mentally strong. Before the Indian team left for the tour of Bangladesh, I went to meet them and felt really nice. I felt I was back from the wilderness. I When I started bowling again in the nets, I felt relieved.”

Fortunately for Shami, he will be making a comeback on the upcoming tour of Australia, a place where he has done extremely well. In the 2014 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he was the second highest wicket taker with 15 scalps in three Test matches. In the World Cup, he once again stepped up and played an important role in India’s unbeaten march to the semi-finals with 17 wickets in seven games.

“We played the Test series and the tri-series before the World Cup and we had a fair idea of the conditions. I had gauged the bounce and carry that Australian wickets had to offer. We had discussions with our coaches and had worked out what lengths to bowl which helped.”

Ahead of the Australia tour, Shami played two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches and also two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 games. The 25-year-old said playing domestic games was vital ahead of a big tour. “I had not played for a long time. Everyone else was playing and I was missing out. I decided to play the two tournaments as I was looking to get some match rhythm. I wanted to be ready for the Australia tour by bowling in the same manner when I had last played for India.”