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Mohammed Shami has established himself as the dark horse of Indian cricket. While Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma piled on runs, it was Shami providing breakthroughs as his perfect seam position and pace created problems for batters in the recently concluded ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. Shami who finished as the highest wicket-taker despite missing the first four matches has opened up on his struggles before playing his first World Cup in 2015.
“I had swelling in my knee before the 2015 tournament. Someone else could have said no but I have the ability to bear pain and I was told two options -- either directly go for surgery or play the tournament and then go for the surgery. While the team would return to the hotel after every match, I would go to the hospital to take the injection. When you play for the country, you forget everything,” Shami told PUMA India.
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After the World Cup, Shami went under the knife and the doctors told him that it would be a big achievement if he managed to walk again without a limp. But it did not dampen Shami's spirits.
“I was unconscious for two hours. When I woke up, I asked the doctor when I could start playing. He replied, 'It will be a big achievement if you walk without a limp, forget playing. It all depends on how you go about your rehab," the 33-year-old added.
Shami finished with 24 wickets from seven games, one more than Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa. In the World Cup 2023 final, Shami revived India’s hopes of making a comeback when he got the wicket of Australian opener David Warner with his first legal delivery in the second over of the innings. However, Shami could not get a second wicket despite troubling Travis Head with the new ball. Head went on to score 137 as Australia beat India by seven wickets in the final to lift the trophy.
Shami is not a part of India’s T20I squad for the five-T20I series against Australia. He is likely to return when India tour South Africa for an all-format series next month.
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