Mohammed Shami last played for India during the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia.© AFP
India pacer Mohammed Shami is eyeing a comeback into the Indian team after being out of action since November 2023 due to an injury. Shami last played for India during the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia, which the Rohit Sharma-led side lost. Since then, he has been nursing an ankle injury, which has kept him out of action for the entirety of 2023. Shami played the ODI World Cup despite carrying an injury, but emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 24 scalps in seven matches.
Now, after missing major events like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the T20 World Cup, which India won in his absence, Shami was has began his preparations to get upto full speed.
In a recent interaction, Shami's friend Umesh Kumar opened up on the pacer's diet and spilled the beans on his love for mutton.
"Shami can bear everything, but Shami cannot survive without mutton. He can tolerate it for one day, you will see him agitated on the second day, and will lose his mind on the third. If he (Shami) doesn't eat 1kg mutton daily, his bowling speed will reduce by upto 15 kmph," Umesh said on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, the pacer was seen bowling in the nets in full throttle recently.
India chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently hoped that Shami will be able to recover in time for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19.
"We more or less know who the guys are, there are some injuries at the moment and hope they will be back. Shami has started to bowl, which is a good sign. September 19 is the first Test (against Bangladesh) and that was always the goal. I don't know if that is his timeline for recovery, will have to ask the guys at the NCA about that," Agarkar said in the press conference.
Agarkar also stated that the selection committee will be keeping an eye on first-class cricket, in order to add more players in the Test team.
"There are so many Tests coming. We will need some depth. Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj have been around for a while, these are the obvious ones. But there will be some conversation around it. Got a lot of first-class cricket coming up so we can build guys up like that," said Agarkar.