Dubai (UAE), February 23: In a moment of relief for Indian cricket fans, pacer Mohammed Shami returned to the field after experiencing minor ankle pain during the ongoing India-Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday.
Shami, who had been off the field for a brief period following the fifth over of Pakistan’s innings, made his return for the fourth over of his spell in the 12th over. Initially, Shami seemed a little off-colour, giving away six runs in his first over, including five wides. However, he bounced back in his next two overs, conceding only four and three runs, respectively.
In his third over, the fifth of the innings, Shami felt discomfort in his ankle after the fourth delivery, prompting the physio to check on him. Following this, Shami was temporarily off the field, with Hardik Pandya stepping in to bowl the seventh over.
Shami had just made his return to international cricket after recovering from a long-standing ankle injury, which kept him out of action for over a year. His comeback was marked by strong performances in the white-ball series against England. In this Champions Trophy match, he is eager to make a strong impact, having previously made a sensational debut against Bangladesh in Dubai with a memorable five-wicket haul.
An official fitness update on Shami’s condition is awaited.
Match Details: Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first in this highly anticipated encounter. The last India-Pakistan clash in a Champions Trophy was the 2017 final, where India suffered a crushing defeat. Now, with the memories of that loss fresh in their minds, the Indian team is determined to make a strong comeback against their rivals.
Teams:
- India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
- Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk/c), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.