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In an exclusive interview with ICC, Mohammed Shami delved on arguably the worst phase of his career when he struggled to walk after sustaining an injury.
Shami returned as the finest bowler in the 2023 World Cup with 24 wickets in seven appearances at an exceptional average of 10.70, which helped India to reach the final. He produced his best figures of 7/57 in the semifinal against New Zealand.
However, Shami underwent ankle surgery in February 2024, which ruled him out of Indian Premier League 2024. He then faced knee issues as well, which piled on his woes and delayed his return to competitive cricket.
In November 2024, Mohammed Shami returned to play for Bengal in all domestic tournaments. After impressive performances, he was picked for the England white-ball series and the Champions Trophy as well.
Ahead of India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, Shami revealed his struggles, where he was barely able to walk, but was still dreaming of playing for India again. He even doubted whether he would be able to represent the country again.
“I always wondered when I would be able to put my feet on the ground again, as someone who is used to running on the field constantly was now in crutches,” Shami, 34, told icc.tv. “A lot of thoughts used to run through my mind. Will I be able to do it again? Will I be able to walk without a limp? For the first two months, I often doubted whether I would be able to play again as an injury like this followed by a 14-month break can pull you down.
“My first question to the doctor was ‘how many days until I can be back on the field’. He said, ‘my priority is to get you to walk, then jog, and then run and thinking about playing competitive cricket is still a distant goal’.
“After 60 days, when they asked me to put my feet on the ground, you won’t believe me, but I have never been more scared to put my foot on the ground. It felt like I was starting over, like a toddler learning how to walk, and I was worried about any complications.”
Mohammed Shami’s double strike puts Bangladesh under pressure in Champions Trophy
On Thursday (February 20), Mohammed Shami impressed with his opening spell against Bangladesh in India’s first Champions Trophy game in Dubai.
Shami secured a breakthrough of veteran batter Soumya Sarkar (0) in only the first over of the game. He induced an edge of Sarkar, which was caught by KL Rahul.
In the seventh over, he made Mehidy Hasan Miraz (5) caught at the slips, and put Bangladesh in a spot of bother at 26/3. However, Towhid Hridoy (75*) and Jaker Ali (66*) have stitched a 141-run stand for the sixth wicket to help Bangladesh reach 176/5 after 41 overs.
