Watch: ‘Couldn’t walk 10 steps…’- Mohammed Shami reacts to his comeback from injury ahead of IPL 2026

India’s one-time premier pacer across formats, Mohammed Shami, has ended as Bengal’s second leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2025/26. The right-arm pacer has picked up 37 wickets in 13 innings at 16.72 and a strike rate of 37.37 with the help of three five-wicket hauls at the best bowling figures of 8/90 in the semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir. 

At a time when India is featuring in the T20 World Cup 2026, Shami tries to mark his return to the side. He reckoned that he couldn’t walk even 10 steps to the toilet by the morning after the ODI World Cup 2023 due to the pain he had in his knee and heel.

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“I was playing the Ranji Trophy (smiles). I was carrying a serious injury, and the pain in the heel has been present since the ODI World Cup. The entire 2023 ODI WC went with the injury. When I used to wake up in the morning, and if I needed to go 10 steps to the toilet, then I had to think for 15-20 minutes until my body got warm. That was stiff, my body was. So, for me, the last option was to do surgery.” Shami expressed in an interaction with News18.

Mohammad Shami keeps belief for India comeback in future

There was a time when the BCCI head selector, Ajit Agarkar, was asked about the comeback of Sham, to which Agarkar highlighted that they had been waiting for Shami’s fitness. However, the Bengal pacer feels that he could only perform on the ground and back his skills, besides leaving the rest and hoping for the best.

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“Then I had my surgery, and I returned to the Champions Trophy 2025. I was a bit heavy back then, before I went through the training. I believed my skills and backed it, and I played Ranji Trophy, and I reckoned that the season had gone really well. Hopefully, we will see what unfolds in the future.” Shami remarked in the same interaction.

“See, as I have said before, the selection thing is not in my hands. I can only perform and keep running on the ground. I don’t blame anyone, and as a sportsperson, you can only try, repeat, and be patient with your skills. That’s life. It’s all about hard work in the morning and returning home in the evening, and you can only wait, rather than snatch the luck.” The Bengal pacer highlighted.