In a recent interaction with former cricketer Irfan Pathan, India’s premier seamer Mohammed Shami talked about his ordeals while featuring in the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia.
Shami revealed about playing the entire tournament with a broken knee and consuming three painkillers and injections to deal with the pain.
Despite his struggles, Shami ended up taking the second most number (17 wickets) of wickets for the Men in Blue during the tournament. Shami shared the new ball with Umesh Yadav who picked up 18 scalps in the competition.
“Sometimes there is an important match, and you know you have to play it. In the 2015 World Cup, I carried a knee injury. I was not even able to walk. I used to take painkillers and injections. The physio Nitin Patel helped me. He gave me the confidence to complete the tournament. My knee needed an operation, they told me if I can endure the pain then I can play the World Cup,” Shami told Pathan on Instagram.
“The knee broke in the first match of the tournament, my thighs and knees had come to the same size, doctors had to take out fluids every day, I used to take three painkillers,” added the speedster.
Champions of the tournament, Australia, brought curtains to India’s campaign in the semifinals of the World Cup.
However, Shami was sceptical about featuring in the all-important clash as he told MS Dhoni that he could not bear further pain.
“Before the semifinal match against Australia, I told the team that I cannot take any more pain. Mahi bhai and the management showed faith in me, and they really kept confidence in my abilities. I played the match and gave just 13 runs in my opening spell. Then I went off the park and told Mahi bhai that I could not bowl any longer. But he told me he cannot go to part-time bowlers and asked me not to give away more than 60 runs. I have never been in such a condition like this, some had said my career is over, but I am still here,” concluded Mohammed Shami.
Now, Shami is one of the spearheads in the Indian bowling attack in Tests along with Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav. The Bengal cricketer has received adulations of-late for his supreme fitness and ability to bowl fiery spells in red-ball cricket.
