Mohammed Shami made his international comeback after 436 days after he was included in India’s playing XI for the third T20I against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Shami last played for India in the ICC ODI World Cup final on November 19, 2023, against Australia.
On the eve of the third match of the five-game T20I series, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed that Shami was fit to play. “Shami is fit, yes. I am not the one who can answer anything about why he is playing or not playing. There is a definite plan and (we are) looking ahead at the upcoming matches and ODIs. That is something coach Gautam (Gambhir) and Suryakumar (Yadav) will take a call on, but fitness is definitely not a problem.”
Shami was sidelined after the ODI World Cup due to an ankle injury that required surgery. The recovery from that was followed by a swelling on his left knee during the domestic comeback some weeks back.
“I waited for an entire year, and I worked very hard (to get back to full fitness). There was a sense of fear (of getting injured during rehabilitation) even while running,” Shami said in a video posted by BCCI.
On his competitive return in the Ranji Trophy, he guided Bengal to its first win of the season with a seven-wicket haul.
He followed it up with impressive performances in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (11 wickets) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (five wickets).
Shami’s T20I career has been sporadic, with just 23 appearances since his debut in 2014. His last outing in the format was against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal.
(With inputs from PTI)
