"We saw death very closely"- Mohammed Shami’s friend opens up on the horrific car accident in 2018

Team India pacer Mohammed Shami’s close friend Umesh Kumar recently recalled the details of a horrific car accident near Dehradun in 2018. Umesh Kumar highlighted that Mohammed Shami was badly injured and his face was bleeding after they suffered the car crash early in the morning near Dehradun.

Mohammed Shami was involved in a car accident while traveling from Dehradun to Delhi in March 2018. The accident took place early in the morning on the way to a practice session at Abhimanyu Academy. Shami got four stitches on his head, but the pacer recovered after the incident and returned to the field.

We Saw Death Very Closely That Night - Umesh Kumar

Speaking on journalist Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, Umesh Kumar said that he and Shami traveled to Dehradun for a few days. Umesh added that their car was hit by a truck on their return. Kumar stated that they came very close to death at that time.

"Shami had gotten a clean chit and we decided to go to Dehradoon. We saw death very closely that night. We reached Dehradoon, stayed there, practiced at a stadium, and were on our way back. We left around 5:30 AM in the morning. We fell asleep on the journey. Suddenly it felt as if the car was completely shattered. By the time we could control ourselves, Shami's face was bleeding and he was injured badly. There was a lot of blood," Umesh said.

During the podcast, Umesh Kumar said that he and Mohammed Shami started four community kitchens during the COVID-19 lockdown. Umesh stated that they fed approximately 30,000 to 35,000 people daily. He mentioned that the Indian fast bowler wanted to help after seeing the many poor people on television.

The Truck Driver Even Hit Our Escort Car - Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami said that the truck driver attempted to flee from the spot after the accident. The veteran stated that the truck driver even struck their escort vehicle while trying to escape.

"A truck hit our car from the front. The truck hit from the front indicator and tore the side of the car to the rear indicator. The most dangerous thing was that while trying to escape, the truck driver even hit our escort car. When our car got imbalanced and went off-road, there was a transformer within two meters of distance. There was a ditch on one side and a transformer in the front," Shami said.

Mohammed Shami is recovering from Achilles tendon surgery he had in February. The right-arm pacer has been out of action since the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Indian team lost against Australia in the final match in Ahmedabad. Shami is expected to return for the Test series against Bangladesh in September.

The 33-year-old pacer has represented India in 64 Tests, 101 ODIs, and 23 T20I matches. He has taken 449 wickets across all formats in international cricket. The Indian team management hopes Shami will be fit and available for the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia later this year.

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