Amidst speculations over Mohammed Shami’s recovery from an ankle surgery, which he underwent earlier this year, the veteran pacer was seen bowling on the centre wicket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for almost an hour after India’s defeat to New Zealand in the first Test on Sunday.
Shami bowled extensively to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and looked in good rhythm. Sporting a black sleeveless t-shirt and shorts, and with his left knee strapped up, Shami operated from around the wicket to the left-handed Nayar, hitting the good length area consistently while also dishing out the occasional bouncer.
He began his training session by bowling to Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test due to a stiff neck.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel had a few words with Shami and kept a close eye on him. Though Shami wasn’t hitting the speeds he is known for, he looked comfortable in his run-up.
The 34-year-old also did some catching practice with India fielding coach T. Dilip.
Ahead of the first Test here, India skipper Rohit Sharma had revealed that Shami had a swelling in his knee which had dealt a blow to his recovery, which is being closely monitored ahead of India’s tour of Australia for the five-match Test series later this year.
Shami had taken to social media earlier this month to quash reports over his non-participation in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a knee injury, which was termed as a ‘setback’ to his recovery process.
“Why these type of baseless rumors? I’m working hard and trying my level best to recover. Neither the BCCI nor me have mentioned that I am out of the Border Gavaskar series. I request the public to stop paying attention to such news from unofficial sources. Please stop and don’t spread such fake fake fake & fake news, especially without my statement,” he had posted.
Shami, who hasn’t featured in a competitive game since the ODI World Cup final last year, is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
He was expected to feature in a couple of games for Bengal in the ongoing Ranji Trophy before being considered for national selection but hasn’t featured in the first two rounds of the premier domestic First-Class tournament.
With Rohit hesitant to take an underprepared Shami to Australia — where he’s viewed as crucial for India’s bid to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy — Shami appears to be in a race against time to regain full match fitness.
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