India's pacer Mohammed Shami is confident about making a strong comeback to international cricket after being sidelined for nearly a year due to an ankle injury and a recent knee issue. The right-arm fast bowler was spotted in an intense net session following India's rare home Test defeat to New Zealand in Bengaluru, where he bowled against the likes of Shubman Gill and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Shami, who has been carefully managing his rehabilitation, expressed his satisfaction with the progress. Speaking at an event by Eugenix Hair Sciences, he confirmed he was "100 percent" pain-free and is looking forward to playing domestic cricket before India's crucial tour of Australia starting on November 22 in Perth.

After the extended bowling and fielding drills at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Shami shared his excitement about his recovery. "It felt great yesterday because I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can't put too much stress on my body. Yesterday, we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%. It felt great, [and] the results are good. Hopefully, I'll be back on track soon."

Shami emphasised the importance of patience during his recovery and highlighted how injuries refine a player's resilience. He is focused on returning to peak form and targeting domestic matches to regain match fitness ahead of the Australia Test series.

“The Australia series is still far away. The only thing I want to focus on is how to keep myself fit, and how strong I can be before going there. I know what kind of an attack we want for that Test series, so it's better I spend some more time on the ground before going. If I get fit and I get a gap of eight to ten days, then it's better I play one or two domestic matches before going to Australia," he added.