Mohammed Shami refutes knee injury concerns, well on course for comeback against New Zealand

Star India pacer Mohammed Shami was recently surrounded by speculations about hitting a road block on his road to recovery. Reports suggested that he developed swollen knees while he was undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Consequently, the 34-year-old might be out for another six to eight weeks thereby jeopardizing his chances of playing for India on the Australia tour.

With India gearing up for the upcoming Border Gavaskar series 2024-25, down under, Shami’s new injury could have proved to be a hindrance to the side. Notably, the marquee series is all set to start on November 22 in Perth, and it is worth noting that Shami has been working to get back to full fitness since February 2024. However, in a fresh development, the fiery pacer came forward to refute all the reports calling them baseless. The Amroha-based bowler indicated that he was well on course to recovering in time for the much-awaited away tour and was in good spirits.

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He last played for India in the ODI World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad, after which he underwent Achilles tendon surgery in February. Furthermore, Shami was expected to turn up for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, which is starting on October 11. 

"Shami had resumed bowling and he was looking on track to make a comeback to competitive cricket soon. But this knee injury has flared up recently. BCCI's medical team is assessing the injury but it may require quite a bit of time," a BCCI source in the know was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

"It's a jolt for the NCA medical team. They have been working on him for over a year. They have one of the best workload management systems in place. The medical team is trying its best to put him back in the park soon," the source added. 

It is worth noting that the BCCI has been very careful in managing the workload of their pacers. Bumrah and Shami have been given periodic rests in order to keep them away from injuries. Jasprit Bumrah recently played a two-game Test series against Bangladesh, and with India gearing up for the Tests against New Zealand, it is yet to be seen whether Bumrah will be a part of the squad.