“I thought my international career was over and I would never get another opportunity to represent my country,” Shami said at the post-match media conference
Mohammed Shami celebrates the wicket of Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz on Thursday. Pic/AFP
With age, Mohammed Shami, 34, has endured a lot of trials and tribulations, so much so that when he suffered a serious ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup, he feared never coming back to international cricket. However, after being sidelined for over a year and undergoing a strict rehabilitation process, he has successfully returned to the international stage with 5-53 in India’s six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy campaign opener on Thursday.
“I thought my international career was over and I would never get another opportunity to represent my country,” Shami said at the post-match media conference.
“My first question to the doctor was, ‘How many days until I can be back on the field?’ He said my priority should be to walk first, then jog and then run, and only after that, think about playing cricket. For someone who is used to running on the field constantly, I was on crutches and wondered if I would be able to put my
feet on the ground again. So, after that ordeal, it’s like a dream to perform well again for the country. But the good thing is that I got to play domestic matches to regain my confidence and rhythm. That helped me gauge what changes had come post-surgery. Then, I played four international matches [against England]. That gave me a lot of confidence coming into the Champions Trophy,” added Shami.
Speaking about his bowling effort against Bangladesh, Shami said his primary objective was to attack and take wickets. “In an ICC event match, if I get hit a little, that’s okay, but I should get wickets. That’s always better for my team, so I always think about that [taking wickets].”
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