Mohammed Shami batted for an hour more at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium following the end of the first Test between India and New Zealand. The fast bowler is toiling hard to make a comeback after suffering an ankle injury that has kept him out of games since November last year.
Full-fledged Bowling Practice Session
Shami, 34, was bowling with strapping on his left knee but appeared to be at full intensity when he bowled to India’s batting coach, Abhishek Nayar. Bowling coach Morne Morkel watched over the session closely. Shami neither flinched nor showed even a flicker of discomfort as he continued bowling and stopped occasionally to go through fielding drills near the boundary.
Mohammed Shami bowled for more than hour on the centre wicket at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
He has looked in good rhythm, though his left knee is strapped up. 🤞 #INDvNZ #CricketTwitter @sportstarweb pic.twitter.com/9nRQqIxSEL---Advertisement---— Dhruva Prasad (@DhruvaPrasad9) October 20, 2024
Shami started at around 2:30 PM, continuing with some warm-up exercises, and then marking out his full run-up. As soon as Nayar stopped batting, Morkel put cones on the pitch so that Shami was able to continue running. He ended his session at 3:50 PM.
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Practice Extended To Day 3
Shami bowled for almost 45 minutes after the day two close of play and both practiced with short and long run-ups off different practice pitches at the stadium.
Waiting To Regain Fitness For The Tour
India will keep a close eye on how Shami goes physically leading up to the five-Test tour of Australia starting in November. His last serious game was the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he bowled with an ankle injury, taking 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70.
Shami was operated upon in February in London and has subsequently missed the domestic season and the Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Shami had a “setback”, Rohit Sharma had said, due to swelling in his knee.
Shami’s Return: Caution Incoming
“He hasn’t played any cricket for over a year, which is challenging for a fast bowler,” said Rohit. “It’s not ideal to bring him back undercooked, especially before the Australia tour. We want to ensure he is 100% fit before making a decision.”
