India vs England 2nd T20: Mohammed Shami trains hard at nets in Chennai, but suspense surrounds his return

Mohammed Shami's return to cricket nets shows signs of rustiness despite hard work and varying intensity.

Mohammed Shami’s much-awaited return to top-flight cricket did not receive too many supporting signals during the seasoned pacer’s nearly hour-long stint of varying intensity at the India nets on Friday (January 25, 2025).

Shami, whose last appearance in India colours was during the 2023 World Cup final, worked hard on finding his bowling rhythm at the Chepauk, but never really hit his flowing peak which makes him a tough customer for batters.

Shami was expected to feature in the playing 11 during India’s first T20I against England at Kolkata on Wednesday, but the management decided to delay his comeback.

Much like he did at the Eden Gardens, Shami was an active presence in the nets here too, starting with a light jogging session alongside assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Then the 34-year-old engaged in throwing drills for a few minutes with fielding coach T Dilip before hitting the bowling nets closer to the Madras Cricket Club stand.

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Shami, whose both legs were heavily bandaged, began with half run-up and worked up reasonable pace as well.