India fast bowler Mohammed Shami, on Saturday, ended his silence on missing out on the India Test squad for the upcoming tour of Australia for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. The comment came hours after India lost the Test series against New Zealand, incurring their first loss at home in 12 years, which subsequently marked the end of an 18-series winning streak dating back to 2013.
Shami has been out of action since incurring an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup final last November. In February, he went under the knife and has since been undergoing rehabilitation at Bengaluru's National Cricket Academy.
On Monday, he admitted that he was pain-free, days after India captain Rohit Sharma revealed that he suffered a swollen knee earlier this month during his recovery from ankle surgery at the NCA. However, BCCI, as a precautionary move, did not want to rush in with his return to the international fold, and hence, Shami was not considered for the Australia Test series.
On Saturday, Shami took to Instagram to share another video showing his recovery process, where he apologised to the BCCI and the fans for failing to make the international return, and promised that he would be back soon.
“Putting in my efforts and getting better with my bowling fitness day-by-day. Will continue working hard towards getting ready for the match and to play domestic red ball cricket. Sorry to all cricket fans and BCCI too, but very soon I’m ready to play red ball cricket , love you all,” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}“Putting in my efforts and getting better with my bowling fitness day-by-day. Will continue working hard towards getting ready for the match and to play domestic red ball cricket. Sorry to all cricket fans and BCCI too, but very soon I’m ready to play red ball cricket , love you all,” he wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Shami set for return to competitive cricket
Earlier this week, The Indian Express reported that Shami is likely to make a return to competitive action on November 6, when Bengal takes on Karnataka in the ongoing Ranji Trophy tournament. He will also play the next game against Madhya Pradesh.
If the veteran fast bowler can prove his match fitness, the selectors could include him for the Australia series.