Mohammed Shami, one of India’s seaming bowling weapons, has been a trusted merchant of the national cricket team for quite a while now. Shami has been instrumental in the Indian bowling lineup across all three formats. Over the years, he scalped 448 wickets in international cricket.
But due to the exerting demands of international cricket tournaments, injuries have been a common vice and have affected him, the recent one being one of the severe types. Since then, he has had a new knee injury that puts the BCCI strategy to bring him back into international cricket and his fitness for the series against Australia in jeopardy.
Shami’s World Cup Campaign and his Initial Injury
The last time Shami participated in a major competition was the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, where he usually bowls first-change after Bumrah and Siraj. But in the final match against Australia, Shami felt ill and said he wanted to have a go at the Australian batsmen earlier in the Australian innings.
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He got them with his first legal ball in one-day cricket to dismiss David Warner, but after that, his performance did dwindle. He bowled seven overs in all, settling for figures of 1/47, while India failed to find victory in the final match as they lost by six wickets.
Six years hence, neither Shami nor Indian cricket’s key stakeholders would have realised that this would be his last competitive appearance for a long time. Shortly after the WC, Shami was diagnosed with an Achilles tendon problem that needed surgery in London.
Ravi’s medical team at BCCI had to formulate a long-term plan and get him back onto the international field. Lacking overseas Tests in most of 2024, except for that solitary contest against South Africa, the team pinned a lot on the fast bowler’s ability to come back without complacency and pressure from the management to do so prematurely.
Recovery and Return Plans
After the surgery, his physical therapy was examined and conducted by the National Cricket Academy’s (NCA) Sports Science team. The improvement was cautiously optimistic, and there was confidence that Shami will be back in the Indian team for the Test series at home against New Zealand.
The BCCI had worked out an elaborate Return to Play policy to avoid a situation where this man would be forced back into play before he was ready. As part of the plan, it was agreed that Shami would play a few Ranji Trophy games for Bengal to show his readiness for competition before getting selected for the national team.
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The timing seemed favourable. Ranji Trophy was started on the 11th of October, and the final Test against New Zealand was planned on the 1st of November. Still so much chance was available for him to start his test match rhythm if he missed the first two Test, especially the much awaited India’s five Test matches series in Australia.
Everyone including the BCCI medical team, the BCCI fans and Shami himself looked forward to his gruesome return but hearted had other plans.
The Setback: A Fresh Knee Injury
Just when Shami looked set on a return to full fitness, the wind was knocked out of his sails. He was then taken for rehabilitation, whereby after some time he experienced water buildup in his knee, an event that made him begin the rehabilitation process from the scratch.
This unexpected setback hurt Shami a lot but it also affected the Indian cricket team, who had pinned much hope on him for the Australia tour. The new knee injury extended Shami’s absence from competitive cricket to a whole new level. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, during media interaction, was concerned saying, “We want him to be 100% fit, more than anything else.
That’s why we don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia.” Our skipper also stressed the need for Shami’s full fitness, but at the same time admitted that performing in the first half of the Australian tour seems to be highly questionable now.
India’s Injury Wills and The Australia Series
Shami’s injury is not the first of its kind to happen to an Indian cricketer. Due to injuries, the team in recent years has frequently been compelled to play some of its games without some major personnel. The most recent tour was the last one conducted in Australia back in 2021.
Shami himself got injured in the first Test at Adelaide, where eventually other players, including Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, R Ashwin, and Bumrah, were also ruled out for subsequent matches of the series. However, these losses were modest as India’s team emerged victorious and won the series 2-1—their second series win in neighboring Australia.
But as India readies for yet another tough series Down Under, the loss of Shami, who has been one of India’s most potent weapons with the new ball in Australia, could prove costly. Shami has 37 wickets in eight Tests in Australia, and when it comes to bowling, his ability to get the extra bounce and movement makes him a weapon for captain Kohli.
India have a nice bowling lineup; however, as has been evident, the absence of a seasoned performer on the side such as Shami is always going to pose some problems.
The Task of Aging and Recovery
Not that Shami is a novice when it comes to the rigours of international cricket; he is just 34 after all. One of the key findings of the work was that, owing to the ageing process, the body takes more time to heal than in the earlier years of athletes’ careers. For Shami, who has been playing the game since he was very young and has a lot of experience, the only issue he must be capable of answering is whether his body can endure the physical demands of the game.
Of course the BCCI medical team is trying its best to ensure that he makes a smooth recovery; the problem with him is that time may well be against him. Injuries have a funny way of artificially protracting a player’s career because a period of time on the bench equals fewer games played.
However, Shami will need to ensure that he can not only come back from the injury, but he will also be as productive as before.
Contribution and prospects of Shami
Mohammed Shami has been part of India’s bowling arsenal for more than a decade now. After making his debut for the ODI team in January 2013, Shami has been a regular player for his side, skills includes reverse swing and controlling his spell for long hours. He has played a very significant role in India’s success, especially in overseas conditions.
Despite yet another injury on the horizon for Shami, many would agree that he stands as one of the best fast bowlers India has produced. Hope is not lost for the cricketer yet to come back from this latest hiccup and another few years of service to Indian cricket.
But the path ahead is steep and winding, and the 33-year-old Shami will have to bring out his fighting spirit if he has to come good again.
A Tough Road Ahead for Shami
The Mohammed Shami saga has undoubtedly posed the BCCI medical team’s plans into a big setback following this latest knee ailment. Having had issues with his Achilles tendon, a recent injury means he may not be in shape for the Australia series after recovering from surgery.
Another battling issue for Shami is that, beside the physical problem, he has to go through the trouble of having another long period of recovery.