[Pictures] “Ready to embrace this next chapter” – Mohammed Shami returns India after surgery

Mohammed Shami, who has been ruled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Gujarat Titans (GT), has returned to India after his surgery.

The speedster shared two pictures on X to express his gratitude. The pacer, who was seen wearing 'aircast airselect walker walking boot', also informed that he will now undergo rehabilitation ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“Grateful to be back in India after surgery. Feeling stronger and ready to embrace this next chapter. Thank you to everyone for your support and love!” Shami wrote.

For the unversed, Shami recently underwent a successful heel operation on his Achilles tendon. H

e shared the update on X:

“Hello everyone! I wanted to provide an update on my recovery progress. It has been 15 days since my surgery, and I recently had my stitches removed. I am thankful for the advancements I have achieved and looking forward to the next stage of my healing journey.”

Shami has not played competitive cricket since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament by finishing with 24 scalps in seven games.

The UP-born Bengal pacer will be keen to regain cent percent fitness ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Surprisingly, he has played only 23 T20Is so far, bagging 24 wickets at an economy rate of 8.94. Overall, he has picked up 190 wickets in 156 T20s.

In a recent statement on Mohammed Shami, the BCCI said:

“The fast bowler successfully underwent surgery on February 26th, 2024, for his right heel problem. He is currently being monitored by the BCCI medical team and is ruled out of the upcoming TATA IPL 2024.”

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Gujarat Titans are yet to announce a replacement for Mohammed Shami for IPL 2024

Gujarat Titans are yet to announce a replacement for Mohammed Shami for IPL 2024. Shami was one of the driving forces as GT reached back-to-back finals last two IPL seasons. The 33-year-old bagged 28 and 20 wickets in the 2023 and 2022 seasons, respectively. Overall, he has bagged 127 wickets in 110 games in IPL at an economy rate of 8.44.

Shubman Gill-led GT will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 24.

GT squad for IPL 2024: David Miller, Shubman Gill (c), Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami (ruled out), Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, and Robin Minz.