3 Indian fast bowlers who made a comeback from injury after more than a year ft. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has made his return to the Indian team after missing 2024 owing to injury. It's rare to see fast bowlers making a comeback after such a lengthy injury break.

Injuries are a part and parcel of the sport, but an injury, especially on the lower body, for a fast bowler can have a major impact on his career because their pace is impacted. Several prominent pacers have lost their pace owing to injuries and surgeries in the lower body, with some failing to make a comeback.

However, in this listicle, we look at three Indian fast bowlers who made a comeback from injury after more than a year away.

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#1 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami was dealing with right heel issues in 2023 but continued playing for the country in the ODI World Cup. After the mega event, Shami underwent surgery, which led to a year-long break from the game.

He missed some big competitions like the home Test series against England, Border-Gavaskar Trophy, IPL and T20 World Cup because of his recovery. The right-arm pacer has finally recovered.

Having proved his fitness in domestic cricket for Bengal, Shami has made it to India's squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England.

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#2 Shivam Mavi

While Mohammed Shami was out of action after the 2023 World Cup, Shivam Mavi missed a year in almost the same timeline. Mavi had a recurring issue in his spine, which eventually resulted in a stress fracture.

Courtesy of the injury, Mavi missed Asian Games 2023 and IPL 2024. He returned for the UP T20 League 2024 tournament. While Mavi has been active in domestic cricket, he has unsigned by IPL teams at the 2025 mega auction.

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#3 Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Kamlesh Nagarkoti came into the limelight because of his express pace in the victorious 2018 U-19 World Cup. He earned an IPL deal from Kolkata Knight Riders, who spent ₹3.2 crore for the youngster at the mega auction.

Fans had high hopes from Nagarkoti, who turned heads by clocking 150 kmph. However, just before the IPL season began, he was in tears, as he reached out to his coach Surendra Singh Rathore.

"He sounded like he'd cry," Rathore recalls in a chat with Sportskeeda. "He said, 'Sir, I can't even move my legs.'"

Nagarkoti had a lower back stress fracture, an injury in his L5 and L4 vertebrae, which ruled him out of action for the next two years. As per his coach, Nagarkoti developed the back issue because he played non-stop cricket without taking much rest.

For two years, Nagarkoti worked on his rehab at the National Cricket Academy. The express pacer finally returned to IPL in 2020, making his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has played 12 IPL matches so far, scalping five wickets.