Shami fine-tunes form with extended bowling practice in Bengaluru nets

Senior India pacer Mohammed Shami on Sunday bowled close to an hour at nets without any palpable discomfort, indicating progress in his recovery process after a surgery earlier this year.

Shami came to nets after India's first Test against New Zealand here, and bowled under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Morne Morkel.  Check India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Day 1 LIVE SCORE and MATCH UPDATES HERE

The 34-year-old, whose last outing in national colours was in the ODI World Cup final 2023, bowled to India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

After beginning with a short run-up, Shami, whose left leg was bandaged, increased the strides and soon bowled with his full run-up and at good pace, often beating Nayar.

Shami also had a lengthy chat with Morkel once he finished the training session around 4pm.

He also engaged in some light fielding drills.

India skipper Rohit Sharma had said that he does not want to take an undercooked Shami to the tour of Australia next month.

We want him to be 100 per cent fit. We don't want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia.

It is quite tough for a fast bowler, having missed so much cricket, and then suddenly to come out and be at his best, Rohit had said ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand.

Rohit had also revealed that Shami sustained fresh swelling on his operated leg that pegged back his recovery a bit.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill, who missed the first Test against the Kiwis with a stiff neck, also joined Shami at nets.

However, Gill did not take part in any rigorous drill, returning to the dressing room after a round of light session with Morkel and team physio.