CHENNAI: Time heals the deepest wounds, the saying goes. But it's easy to say. Ask Mohammed Shami. The fast bowler nursing a knee injury recently posted a photo on Instagram of himself and his late father. The unfortunate event happened in January and forced Shami to leave his rehabilitation programme in Bengaluru. His recovery took longer. But after a couple of net sessions in Bengaluru on Thursday, the 26-yearold is feeling better and has been drafted into the Bengal squad for the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy one-dayers.
Though he did not play against Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Shami is confident of playing the next fixture on Monday, when Bengal take on Gujarat at MA Chidambaram Stadium. With the aim of getting back to the Test squad to face Australia, he feels this match has come at the perfect time. “I had to stay a little longer in Bengaluru because my father passed away. It was tough for me. Where I was born, things are a little difficult. But he supported me throughout.
He even used to drop me for games and he used to come and watch me play. I really miss him,” Shami said. “My knee is feeling good. I am looking forward to the next Test match. But I have to play for the state team before that. Those are the rules. I wanted to see how I feel after playing. So this has come at the right time for me,” said Shami. With the squad for the last two Tests to be announced after the second one, Shami is mentally ready. “Injuries are a part and parcel of the game.
You have to be confident while you play and try and help your team. India is a big country with many talents. If you fret over things like competition, it will only let you down.” He mentioned that he does not worry about aggravating the injury. “If you look at any fast bowler, the workload is high. I feel we are not supposed to stress over that. I am just going to take the responsibilities given to me and help my country win.”
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com