On Thursday, February 22, Gujarat Titans suffered a major setback as their star seamer Mohammed Shami was ruled out of IPL 2024 due to an ankle injury. According to a source from BCCI, the 33-year-old seamer will travel to the UK for surgery.
Shami has been experiencing pain in his left ankle for months. Notably, the right-arm seamer played through the 2023 World Cup in pain, experiencing difficulties during his run-up. However, despite not being in the playing XI for the first few matches, Shami shone with the ball and emerged as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in just seven matches.
Following the World Cup, Shami travelled to London in the last week of January to treat his injury. Although he received injections there, he has failed to recover as expected. As a result, the board decided to send Shami to London for surgery.
The loss of Shami is a significant setback for Gujarat Titans, who have already suffered the departure of Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians in a pre-season trade. Shami was the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2023, claiming 28 wickets in 17 matches.
This is not only a major loss for Gujarat but also for India, as the T20 World Cup 2024 is less than four months away. It is doubtful that the right-arm seamer will recover in time for the prestigious tournament. Shami last played an international game on November 19 against Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final. However, despite his absence from the international scene, his exceptional bowling skills make him a strong contender for the T20 World Cup squad.
There are concerns regarding the NCA's evaluation of Shami's injury, as he is expected to return during the home Test tours against Bangladesh and New Zealand. Regarding the NCA, the BCCI source commented that Shami should have undergone surgery as advised by the NCA. Merely two months of rest and injections would not have been sufficient, as has been proven. Shami is a valuable asset to the Indian team and will be needed in Australia.