Just hours after the first Test between India and New Zealand ended in Bengaluru, pacer Mohammed Shami was seen bowling at the centre wicket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. For the unversed, Rohit Sharma-led side lost the opening Test of the three-match series by eight wickets, and minutes after the match coming to an end, Mohammed Shami was seen bowling extensively to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
There has been ongoing speculation about Mohammed Shami’s recovery from an ankle surgery, and the pacer is trying his level best to get fit in time for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Going by the visuals on social media, Mohammed Shami was seen wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt and shorts. The pacer had his left kinee strapped up.
Shami was seen operating from round the wicket to the left-handed Abhishek Nayar. The pacer managed to hit the good length on quite a few occasions.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel was also seen observing Mohammed Shami.
Rohit Sharma provides update on Mohammed Shami’s recovery
Ahead of the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru, Rohit Sharma had revealed that Shami had swelling on his knee, and this dealt a blow to his recovery.
“To be honest, right now, it’s pretty difficult for us to make a call on him, whether he’ll be fit for this series or Australia series. He recently had swelling on his knee, which was quite unusual,” Rohit said, before the beginning of the first Test.
“He was in the process of getting fit, getting close to 100 per cent, he had swelling in his knee, that put him back a little bit in his recovery. So, he had to start again. Right now, he’s at NCA, he’s working with the physios and the doctors at NCA,” he added.
Earlier, Mohammed Shami had taken to social media to quash reports of his non-participation in the Border Gavaskar Trophy due to a knee injury.
“Why these type of baseless rumors? I’m working hard and trying my level best to recover. Neither the BCCI nor me have mentioned that I am out of the Border Gavaskar series. I request the public to stop paying attention to such news from unofficial sources. Please stop and don’t spread such fake fake fake & fake news, especially without my statement,” he had written on X.
For the unversed, Mohammed Shami has not played any competitive game since the 2023 ODI World Cup. He is currently at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.