Pacer Mohammed Shami casts his vote in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha

After casting his vote, Shami urged citizens to exercise their franchise and "elect the government of their choice".

"I just want to say that every citizen has the right to cast their votes and elect the government of their choice...It is a matter of pride for me that PM Modi took my name during his speech (in Amroha) and praised me and my game," Shami told the media.

Voting was held in eight parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh namely Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, and Bulandshahr during the second phase of Lok Sabha polls.

Voting began at 7 am on Friday in 88 constituencies across 13 states and union territories for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier in February, PM Modi wished a speedy recovery to Shami, who successfully underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon.

Shami is currently in rehabilitation from an Achilles tendon injury. On April 19, Shami provided his fans with an injury update and said that he cannot wait to make a comeback.

Taking to Instagram, Shami wrote in the caption of his reel, "Injuries don't define you, your comeback will... Can't wait to be back out there with my team! #mdshami #recoveryjourney #shami #mdshami11"

Shami is not playing in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, where he was supposed to play for the Gujarat Titans (GT) and also missed the five-match Test series against England at home in January-March this year due to injury.

The 33-year-old last represented India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November. The senior pacer finished as the tournament's highest wicket-taker and took 24 wickets in only seven matches.

Shami played through pain in that tournament, but he did not allow his pain to affect his performance. He later missed the tour to South Africa following the tournament and the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in January. (ANI)