Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 21, 2024, 07:00 AM
Mohammed Shami: India suffered a crushing defeat by 8 wickets against New Zealand in the Test match played in Bengaluru. On the last day of this match held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, New Zealand easily achieved the target of 107 runs. After this defeat, many questions are being raised on the performance of the Indian team, especially about the performance of fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who could not do anything special in both the innings. Meanwhile, Indian fans felt the lack of experienced fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who has been out of the team due to injury for the last one year.Shami practiced in the fieldDespite the defeat of the Indian team, Mohammed Shami practiced in the field to check his fitness as soon as the match ended. While other players of Team India were in the dressing room after the defeat, players like Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel and Shubman Gill, who were not a part of this Test, were practicing on the field. After them, Shami came to the pitch and took charge of his bowling.According to reports, Shami bowled at full speed without any trouble after recovering from ankle and knee injuries. Team India's bowling coach Morne Morkel was monitoring Shami's practice session, while assistant coach Abhishek Nair was batting in front of him. Shami troubled Nair a lot with his bowling, which showed signs of improvement in his performance. According to a PTI report, Shami's session lasted for about an hour, in which he had a bandage on his left leg, which was applied in view of the swelling in his knee.Hope of relief before the Australia tour?This practice session of Shami has given some relief to the Indian fans and the team management. However, the exact state of his fitness can only be assessed by the BCCI medical team. Shami has been out since last year's ankle injury during the T20 World Cup. He also underwent surgery earlier this year and has been undergoing rehabilitation since then. It was expected that he would return from Ranji Trophy and play in the Test series against New Zealand, but the swelling in his left knee weakened this hope.Now the Indian team's eyes are set on the Australia tour next month, and it is expected that Shami will be fully fit before that tour. His return can prove to be a big relief for the Indian fast attack, especially when bowlers like Siraj are not able to perform as expected.ConclusionThe defeat in the Bengaluru Test is a big blow for Team India, but Mohammed Shami's practice on the field has given some hope to the fans. Shami's improvement in fitness can be very important for Team India before the upcoming challenging Australia tour. His experience and skill are desperately needed by the Indian bowling attack, and fans are now hoping for his return as soon as possible.