Shami bowls at full tilt on the sidelines in Bengaluru

NewsThe fast bowler had a session for more than an hour after the end of the India-NZ Test

Mohammed Shami hasn’t played a match since the 2023 ODI World Cup final last November  •  PTI

Mohammed Shami bowled for more than an hour on one of the main pitches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after the conclusion of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Bengaluru on Sunday. He also took part in fielding drills as he works towards a comeback from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since November last year.

The 34-year-old fast bowler had heavy strapping on his left knee but bowled at full tilt to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, with bowling coach Morne Morkel watching over the session. He did not look in any obvious discomfort, bowling almost continuously and only taking a break for the fielding drill close to the boundary.

Shami began his session around 2.30pm and after a few warm-up deliveries, he marked out his full run-up and used that for the rest of his practice. Once Nayar was done batting, Morkel placed cones on the pitch and stood behind the wickets as Shami continued to run in and bowl. He finished up at around 3.50pm.

Mohammad Shami bowling to batting coach Abhishek Nayar on the main strip of the M Chinnaswamy stadium. He has a heavily strapped left knee, but was moving fairly well and bowling at full tilt. #INDvsNZ pic.twitter.com/wZBIYpUBQu

— Ashish Pant (@ashishpant43) October 20, 2024 Shami also had a bowl after the end of play on day two, on one of the practice pitches at the far end of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He bowled for close to 45 minutes that day, off both a short and long run-up.

India are waiting on Shami’s fitness ahead of their five-Test tour of Australia beginning in November. His previous appearance was the 2023 ODI World Cup final in November last year, and he had played that tournament with an ankle injury, taking 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70.

Shami underwent surgery in London in February and has not recovered in time to play a part in this year’s Indian domestic season or the Test series at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand. After the start of the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma had said that Shami had a “setback” with a swelling on his knee.

“He has not played any cricket for over a year,” Rohit had said. “It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best. It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover and be 100% fit.

“We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us.”

Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo