'Shami recently had a setback in his recovery' - Rohit Sharma comments on Mohammed Shami's return

India's captain Rohit Sharma recently revealed that fast bowler Mohammed Shami's return to international cricket might face further delays. The pacer, who has been sidelined since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, experienced an unexpected hurdle in his recovery process, raising concerns about his availability for the upcoming crucial series.

Despite playing the World Cup through pain and relying on injections for his ankle, Shami claimed 24 wickets in just seven matches, at an average of 10.70. Following the tournament, he underwent Achilles tendon surgery in London in February, aiming for a comeback in the upcoming Australia series. Sharma disclosed that Shami recently experienced a setback in his recovery journey.

"Right now, it is pretty difficult for us to make a call on whether he will be fit for this series or the Australia series. He recently had a setback - he had a swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual. He was in the process of getting fit - getting close to 100% - and he had swelling in his knee. That put him back a little bit in his recovery, so he had to start again fresh," Rohit said on the eve of India's first Test against New Zealand.

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

Quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket: Rohit Sharma

The star opener opened up on the complexities of a fast bowler's return after a prolonged absence. Sharma said that bringing him early might aggravate his injury.  

"He has not played any cricket for over a year. It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best. It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover and be 100% fit. The physios, the trainers, [and] the doctors have set a roadmap for him. He is supposed to play a couple of games before he plays international cricket. We will see where he is at after this New Zealand series, and then take a call at what stage of Australia [series] he will be fit for us," he added.

The captain also pointed out that the team requires a fully fit Shami for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the doctors and physios of NCA are working closely with the pacer to get him back on the field. 

"Right now, he is at NCA - he is working with the physios, [and] the doctors at NCA. We are keeping our fingers crossed. We want him to be fit; we want him to be 100%. More than anything else, we don't want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us," he concluded.