The India star pacer Mohammed Shami has revealed that he is 100% pain-free after suffering a setback in his recovery. He also hoped to prove his fitness by playing one or two domestic matches for his return before Australia tests.
The 34-year-old pacer who hasn’t played for India since the 2023 ODI World Cup 2023 revealed that he bowled with a full run at Chinnaswamy Stadium after the conclusion of the first test on the New Zealand tour of India 2024.
While speaking about his fitness, “It felt great yesterday. Before that, I had been bowling with a half run-up because I didn’t want to put too much load on my body.”
“We decided yesterday that I would bowl at full intensity for the last two sessions and I gave my 100%. It felt good, the results were encouraging. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track soon.”
Shami had been out of action due to a left Achilles injury after the ODI World Cup 2023 and had undergone surgery earlier this year. With concerns about his fitness growing with the nearing of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, he had a swollen knee
Recently, Shami had a swollen knee after nearing 100% fitness and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that taking an undercooked Shami to Australia would not be the right decision for the team.
“I know everyone has been thinking about whether I will go to Australia or not but that series is still far away,” Shami said, adding that he feels “100%” pain-free.
“The only thing I want to focus on is how to keep myself fit and how to get as strong as I can for the tour. I know what kind of an attack we want for that Test series, so it’s better for me to work on the nuances and spend some more time on the ground before going.
“If I get fit and I get a gap of eight to ten days, then it’s better that I play one or two domestic matches before going to Australia.
“I don’t know when I can play next but the day I feel comfortable about bowling 20-30 overs and I get the nod from the doctors, I’ll make a run to play a match. I want to spend as much time as I can on the ground before going for the Australia series.”
India is playing their three-match test series against New Zealand. Trailing the series 1-0, the hosts will be looking for a victory in the upcoming tests before facing Australia next month. The first match of the Australia tests will begin on November 22 at Optus Stadium.
