File photo of Indian cricket team and Gujarat Titans star Mohammed Shami© AFP
On the day of the IPL 2024 schedule announcement, a report from news agency PTI claimed that last season’s runner-up Gujarat Titans will miss the services of star fast bowler Mohammed Shami. The best bowler of the ODI World Cup 2023 with 24 scalps has been missing from action since the marquee event due to injury. He missed India’s Tour of South Africa and the Test series against England at home, and the PTI report said that Mohammed Shami played through pain during the World Cup as he had problems with his landing but didn’t let it affect his performance.
“Shami was in London in last week of January to take special ankle injections and he was told that after three weeks, he can start light running and take it from thereon. But the injection hasn’t worked and now the only option left is surgery. He will shortly leave for UK for surgery. IPL seems out of question,” a senior BCCI source told news agency PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Shami, who was recently conferred with the Arjuna Award, has 229 Test, 195 ODI and 24 T20 wickets in his decade-long career.
The development raises a question mark about the injury rehabilitation management programme planned by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for Shami.
Now it is highly unlikely that the pace bowling artist would be able to make a comeback before India’s Test matches at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand (October November).
His target could be the marquee away series against Australia.
People in the know of things believe that the NCA’s conservative line of thinking has not worked in Shami’s case.
“Shami should have gone directly for surgery and that should have been NCA’s call. Just two months of rest and injections wouldn’t have worked well and that’s what has happened. He is an asset and the Indian team would need him in Australia,” the source said.
With PTI inputs
Topics mentioned in this article
