When Mohammad Shami Played 2015 World Cup Despite Knee Injury
Mohammad Shami played 2015 World Cup with injured knee (Twitter)
Mohammad Shami's persistent battle to overcome pain from a heel injury endured during the ICC World Cup 2023, where the experienced quick took 24 wickets in seven matches, reminded cricket lovers of a similar occurrence with the pacer back at the 2015 edition of the quadrennial event.
Shami played in the marquee tournament in Australia and New Zealand despite facing knee injury troubles throughout India's campaign. As he did during the recent competition at home, the right-arm pacer had to take regular injections to endure growing pain and avoid extra swelling on his knee.
The Bengal seamer missed only one of India's eight games played during a spirited campaign when, against expectations, MS Dhoni's men retained a winning streak until losing the semifinal of the tournament in Sydney against Australia.
When Shami Played 2015 WC With Knee Injury
"I had knee injury during the 2015 World Cup. I couldn't walk after the matches I played throughout the tournament with the injury. I played the 2015 WC because of (physio) Nitin Patel's confidence," Shami had told Irfan Pathan in an Instagram chat during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.
"The knee broke in the first match itself. My thighs and knees were the same size, doctors used to take out fluid from them everyday. I used to take 3 painkillers."
Shami was one of Dhoni's go-to pacers for the steep, rising, and seaming Australian pitches on which the skiddy bowler took 17 wickets in seven innings at a staggering average of 17.29 while going for a modest 4.81 runs an over.
The 33-year-old had been facing troubles with his knee ever since the completion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier in the Australian summer. It was advised by the medical staff to opt for surgery. Fearing that he would miss his first-ever World Cup for India, he decided not to undergo the knife until the tournament's conclusion late in March.
Shami's decision benefitted India immensely on the cricket field as Dhoni and company kept winning in foreign conditions. However, it meant extra pain and fatigue for the Bengal quick, who only skipped the low-key group stage encounter versus UAE in Perth as a means to rest and recuperate before the next game.
The veteran laid bare his great spirit and love to don the national jersey by continuing to play at the expense of potentially worsening his injury. As it happened, the pacer missed the playing action for the best part of the next 12 months and only came back to take the field in 2016.
 "Kashish Chadha")
