He was one of MS Dhoniās meanest weapons in the 2015 World Cup where India bowled out their opponents in all of their seven league matches. After the tournament in which he shone with 17 wickets from seven matches at an average of 17.29, Mohammad Shami suffered the biggest setback in his career so far. A knee injury kept him out of most of IPL 2015 and he had to go under the knife.
What followed was a long and frustrating month of bed rest. This, Shami says was the toughest period of his career. āWe came back from the World Cup and during the IPL I was told that the injury was really bad and that I will have to get it operated,ā Shami told BCCI.TV.
āThe surgery happened in Mumbai and I was told I will not be able to walk for a month. I was completely bed-ridden. Even when I had to go to the bathroom, someone had to take me there because I couldnāt put the foot on the ground. That was a very tough time for me.
āAs a sportsperson it is very difficult to sit at one place. It is not easy to accept that your body is not capable of simple movements. This was my first major injury and that one month was the most difficult period of my career so far,ā Shami recalled.
The month of gloom, however, is behind him now. Currently Shami is at the Shri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Centre (SRMC) in Chennai where he is undergoing a thorough rehabilitation process. Step by step, day by day, the fast bowler is getting closer to full fitness.
āCurrently I am going through my rehab in Chennai. I am working with Sud (VP Sudarsan, Team Indiaās former strength and conditioning coach) and Yogesh Parmar (Team Indiaās former physiotherapist),ā he said. āIt is an advantage for me to have these guys because they have worked with me before and they know my body well. They know how much stress my body can take and what my strength capacity is.
āI am doing mild physical activities now. I have started to run a bit and my confidence is getting higher gradually. I have also started to bowl a bit ā not off my full run-up but from a couple of paces. Just to get that feel of delivering the cricket ball again, rolling my arm, feels good. I am bowling two-three overs at a stretch currently just to get the feel of my line, length and release. I can also lift light weights now and we are gradually increasing the intensity.ā
The course of action is clearly laid down in front of Shami. His fitness programme is in place and he has broken down the entire rehab process into small targets.
āI will spend 15 days here in Chennai and then go to Bangalore at the NCA, where I can start bowling in the nets and work on my bowling skills,ā he said. āI want to be completely fit physically before I go for my first net session, even if it takes a week more. It will all depend on how much strength I get in the next 15 days.ā
Shamiās ultimate goal is to be part of Team India when they host South Africa for three T20Is, five ODIs and four Test matches, starting in October.
āIt will take about 30 to 45 more days before I can bowl at my full pace and strength. But I donāt want to hurry into anything because I still have time on my hand before the South Africa series starts,ā he said. āI am confident that I will be fit in time for that series. My target is to make a comeback in that series.ā
