Back after a long injury lay-off, Mohammed Shami rekindled his love affair with big-ticket ICC tournaments by returning with a five-wicket haul to defuse Bangladesh in India’s Champions Trophy campaign opener in Dubai on Thursday.

The road to recovery wasn’t easy for the star right-arm quick, who, at one stage during his year-long recovery period, feared that his career was over. However, the 34-year-old made a startling return in the Champions Trophy, after warming up in the ODI series against England, with a clinical show against Bangladesh on Thursday to continue his remarkable performance in ICC tournaments.

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Shami’s liking for the ICC tournaments, which saw him take 24 wickets in the 2023 ODI World Cup before getting injured, was on show at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, where his 5 for 53 set up India’s win, before Shubman Gill took over with his 101 not out.

Even in the 2015 and 2019 editions of the ODI World Cups, Shami emerged as the pick of India’s bowling attack, picking 17 and 14 wickets, respectively.

“In ICC events, I don’t care about getting hit…I just go for wickets. I don’t care about the economy rate at all,” said Shami after India’s six-wicket win. “I spent eight hours (a day) at the NCA (National Cricket Academy during my recovery after ankle surgery). I had the hunger. Unless and until you have hunger, you cannot achieve your goal,” Shami said at the post-match press conference.

Comparing his comeback to “a toddler learning how to walk”, Shami said that he would keep wondering whether he would be able to put his feet back on the ground again.

“I always wondered when I would be able to put my feet on the ground again, as someone who is used to running on the field constantly was now in crutches,” Shami, 34, told icc.tv.

“A lot of thoughts used to run through my mind. Will I be able to do it again? Will I be able to walk without a limp? For the first two months, I often doubted whether I would be able to play again as an injury like this followed by a 14-month break can pull you down.

“My first question to the doctor was ‘how many days until I can be back on the field’. He said, ‘my priority is to get you to walk, then jog, and then run and thinking about playing competitive cricket is still a distant goal’.

“After 60 days, when they asked me to put my feet on the ground, you won’t believe me, I had never been more scared to put my foot on the ground. It felt like I was starting over, like a toddler learning how to walk, and I was worried about any complications.”

After overcoming an ankle injury, Shami underwent surgery in March 2024. He subsequently faced issues in his knee, further delaying his return.

The star pacer finally made his competitive return in domestic cricket for Bengal in November 2024 before rejoining India’s white-ball squad during the home series against England, proving his fitness for the Champions Trophy.

“The desire to wear the India badge on my chest kept me going,” he said.

“You endure the pain and take it one step at a time without complaints or bitterness. It was tough and there was pain, but with resilience and patience, I made it through. My motivation has always been to serve my country for as long as possible. Because once you step away, you’re just like anyone else,” he added.

In the absence of injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Shami has a bigger role in the Champions Trophy, and he led from the front in the match against Bangladesh. With India set to take on arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, Shami will be expected to continue his momentum.