Team India star pacer Mohammed Shami expressed his desire to win the World Cup after watching his teammates lift the World T20 trophy recently. The veteran pacer Mohammed Shami also lauded the Indian team for showing a lot more patience on this occasion. Star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has returned to bowling in the nets for the first time since the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia. Shami had been sidelined due to a right heel injury that required surgery.
Mohammed Shami who has been out due to an injury in the 2023 ODI World Cup has finally started bowling in nets. He is on his road to recovery and is eyeing a return to the Indian team soon.
Mohammed Shami impressive performance in World Cups for India
Star Indian speedster Mohammed Shami is the best performer for the Indian cricket team in the ODI World Cups. His 55 wickets is the fifth in history and third among the Asian bowlers. He is also the only bowler to have four five-wicket hauls in the World Cups. However, despite his astonishing performance, he was never a regular member of India’s XI during the three previous mega tournaments. India played 28 matches in the last three World Cups and Shami got the chance to play in only 18 of them, with India winning 15 of those ties.
Similarly to the 2023 edition, Shami was benched for the first four group games in the 2019 World Cup, where India was competing under the leadership of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri was the head coach. Mohammed Shami only made his appearance in the fifth match against Afghanistan, where he picked up a hat-trick, and later took a fifer against England in his third appearance.
He grabbed 14 wickets in his four appearances before being rested for the final group game against Sri Lanka and then was not considered in the semifinal against New Zealand as well. During the 2023 edition also, Shami only got a chance after Hardik Pandya picked up an injury. He took 24 wickets in seven matches, which also included two fifers. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
Mohammed Shami’s road to recovery after injury since World Cup 2023
Star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been sidelined due to an injury since the 2023 ODI World Cup, has returned to bowling in the nets, marking a significant step towards his return to competitive cricket.
Mohammed Shami had been sidelined due to a right heel injury that required surgery, and he has since been under the careful supervision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The 33-year-old fast bowler underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year, causing him to miss the home series against Australia, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, and the ICC T20 World Cup.
Despite these setbacks, Mohammed Shami is now preparing for his comeback and shared a video on Instagram of himself cautiously bowling in the training nets. Although he has recovered from the ankle injury, he has not yet resumed bowling at full intensity.
Mohammed Shami is working to regain his form and get medical clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) as he aims to return to competitive cricket. Shami captioned his post, “Vibing with the latest, grinding for the greatest. #shami #mdshami #mdshami11 #hardwork #practice.”
Mohammed Shami was India’s standout bowler in the 2023 ODI World Cup, taking 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70. Despite an ankle injury, he played a crucial role in India’s impressive performance during the ICC event hosted by India. However, Mohammed Shami experienced stiffness in his ankle before the England series in January and was unable to recover in time.
Due to ongoing ankle pain, Mohammed Shami withdrew from the South Africa series. India handed debuts to pacers Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep in the 2024 Test season. However, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh ensured that Shami’s absence was not felt much during the T20 World Cup 2024.
Bumrah and Arshdeep collectively took an impressive 32 wickets in the tournament, helping India secure the trophy by defeating South Africa in the final. Hardik Pandya also made significant contributions with the ball, playing a key role in India’s triumph despite Shami’s absence from the pace attack. However Mohammed Shami further went and praised the Indian team for winning the World Cup and desired that he could be a part of one such achievement.
Mohammed Shami reacts to Team India’s T20 WC victory
Team India star pacer Mohammed Shami expressed his desire to win the World Cup after watching his teammates lift the World T20 trophy recently. The veteran pacer also lauded the Indian team for showing a lot more patience on this occasion.
India looked down and out for all money when South Africa required 30 off as many deliveries in the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados. However, the bowlers helped spark a comeback for the ages and eventually fashioned a seven-run win, thereby also breaking their 11-year ICC trophy drought.
Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra on his podcast, here’s what Shami said about India’s recent World Cup win:
“I believe that whoever took part in that competition, whoever was part of the team, deserved to win it. If I’m unfit today and sitting at home, I can only watch the sport as a fan. Those players are my friends and colleagues, I can only let them know what I feel from the outside to help them play better. There isn’t much in our hands. As far as the winners’ medal is concerned, I also dream of winning the World Cup.”
The 33-year-old observed that the Men in Blue displayed the level of dominance that was visible during the 2023 World Cup.
“I’d felt the same watching this World Cup. I was feeling the same watching it from the outside, as I was on the ground that day. In 2023, when we won 10 games in a row, all the teams were thinking how to beat India. When that happens, we should pray. When you make a mountain out of a molehill that sows doubts and overconfidence. I think the boys showed great patience this time around.”
Rohit Sharma’s men were undefeated in the 2023 World Cup until the final when a clinical Australia emerged triumphant to lift the trophy. However, they became the first side to win the T20 World Cup undefeated.
Mohammed Shami on 2023 ODI World Cup final loss
Mohammed Shami, who finished the 2023 World Cup as the highest wicket-taker, claimed that India had complete belief despite scoring only 240 against Australia in the final. However, he feels luck went against them and added:
“Even in 2023, you wouldn’t have heard anyone say that India will lose. When we had 80 runs in the first 10 overs, the feeling (of invincibility) was the same as it was when we had nabbed three wickets in the beginning. There were no doubts on if India are winning the World Cup or not. But then luck…jo naseeb mai hai uske aage aap jaa hi nahi sakte (you can’t go against what’s been written).”
The right-arm seamer is likely to make his return during the home season in September during the Test series against Bangladesh. India are set to travel to Sri Lanka later this month for a white-ball tour, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs. Mohammed Shami is unlikely to be included in either squad as he is still regaining his bowling pace and awaiting medical clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the squads for the Sri Lanka tour on Wednesday, July 17.