Indian speedster Mohammed Shami's return is set to be delayed as he is currently recuperating from an ankle surgery he underwent in London in Februrary this year. Shami has been out of action with the Indian team for quite some time and was last seen in action during the ODI World Cup in India, where he was playing despite having issues with his ankle.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah has provided a major update on the return of Shami. While speaking to the media in Dharamsala, Shah said that the speedster is likely to return for the home series against Bangladesh in September.
"Shami's surgery is done, he is back in India. Shami's return is likely for the home series against Bangladesh," said Shah while talking to media here.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in June and if Shami returns for the Bangladesh series in September, he will miss the global tournament. Shah also opened up on KL Rahul's injury. "KL Rahul needed an injection, he has started rehab and is at the NCA," he said on Rahul.
Rishabh Pant will be declared fit soon, Shah says
Notably, the BCCI secretary also opened on the potential return of Rishabh Pant in IPL 2024. "He is batting well, he is keeping well. We will declare him fit very soon. If he can play in the T20 World Cup for us, that will be a big thing for us. He is a big asset for us. If he can keep, he can play in the World Cup. Let's see how he does in the IPL," said Shah," he said on Pant.
Returning to Shami, there were media reports nearly three weeks back that the pacer has been ruled out of IPL 2024. "Shami was in London in last week of January to take special ankle injections and he was told that after three weeks, he can start light running and take it from thereon. But the injection hasn't worked and now the only option left is surgery. He will shortly leave for UK for surgery. IPL seems out of question," a BCCI source had told PTI before Shami's surgery.
Shami underwent surgery on February 26 and also shared pictures of his pictures from the hospital. "Just had a successful heel operation on my Achilles tendon! Recovery is going to take some time, but looking forward to getting back on my feet," he wrote in a social media post.
