The man for the big occasion
Dubai: A difficult and painful injury layoff firmly behind him, seasoned India pacer Mohammed Shami says attention to detail and loyalty towards his craft make him lethal in ICC events where he only cares about breakthroughs and not his economy rate.
Shami grabbed an brilliant five-wicket haul in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh to play a pivotal role in the team’s six-wicket triumph. In the process, he also became the fastest Indian and the second-quickest overall to reach 200 ODI wickets here on Thursday night.
“In ICC events, if my ball gets hit a little, that’s okay, but I should get a wicket, then that will be better for my team. I always think about this,” Shami said at the post-match press conference.
The 34-year-old quick battled a career-threatening 14-month layoff due to an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup. He returned to international action last month in the limited-overs series against England and is now leading India’s attack here in the absence of an injured Jasprit Bumrah.
“I just try to complete my skill with utmost loyalty. Like I have completed my 14 months - How loyal are you to that skill? How hungry are you to achieve your goal...How you will get that rhythm again. You should be hungry,” Shami said when asked about his love affair with ICC events
While wrecking Bangladesh here, Shami became India’s leading wicket-taker in 50-over ICC events. His tally now stands at 60, overtaking former India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan.
The retired left-arm seamer had taken 59 wickets in 32 innings while Shami crossed the mark in just his 19th innings. He has 55 wickets in ODI World Cups across three editions, with 24 coming in the 2023 tournament hosted at home.
Shami said he has always focussed on minor details like rhythm, and level of discomfort while bowling to understand where he stood in terms of his form.
“Is your rhythm good? Do you have any discomfort? I pay attention to those things. I don’t pay attention to the result. I pay attention to the present. And I always try to meet the situation that is in demand. Am I good at that or not?” he said giving a peek into his mind.
Shami, who claimed his sixth ODI fifer here, also has the most five-wicket hauls for India in the format. He recalled the frustration he felt while watching India’s woes in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last month when Bumrah shouldered the enormous burden of leading the attack without him at the other end. “It was very difficult...when you see that your team is very close to the edge, or it’s a very close match, at that time you miss your bowlers who you used to bowl along with, or your unit. I wish I was there,” he said.
