Published: Feb 20, 2025, 01:53 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 20, 2025, 01:53 PM (IST)
Experienced Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has revealed that following his ankle injury, there were times when he feared for his international career might be over. However, his unmoved passion and desire to play for the country kept him going.
Shami had faced an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia, which required a surgery to be done. His recovery time was nothing less than that of a roller-coaster, as he had a swelling in his left knee, causing him to be sidelined from international cricket for 14 months.
“From being in great form during the World Cup to suddenly finding myself on the operating table, from that form to being injured was really tough,” Shami told the ICC.
“For the first two months I often doubted whether I would be able to play again as an injury like this followed by a 14-month break can pull you down,” he said.
“My first question to the doctor was ‘how many days until I can be back on the field’. He said my priority is to get you to walk, then jog and then run and thinking about playing competitive cricket is still a distant goal. I always wondered when I would be able to put my feet on the ground again, someone who is used to running on the field constantly was now in crutches,” he added
“After 60 days when they asked me to put my feet on the ground, you won’t believe me, but I have ever (never) been more scared to put my foot on the ground. It felt like I was starting over, like a toddler learning how to walk and I was worried about any complications.” Shami further added.
“Courage and passion to play for the country are the biggest motivators, and the desire to wear the India badge on my chest kept me going,” he stated.
“You endure the pain and take it one step at a time without complaints or bitterness. The passion for representing my country has brought me this far. It was tough and there was pain, but with resilience and patience I made it through. My motivation has always been to serve my country for as long as possible because once you step away, you’re just like anyone else,” Shami concluded.
However, the 34-year-old made a successful comeback in international cricket, played in two T20Is and as many ODIs against England earlier this month. He is now going to lead the Indian bowling attach, since star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is absent because of a back injury.
India’s squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar.
