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Cricket Players‘If you have seen my videos...’: Mohammed Shami opens up on India return, says ‘I am playing T20Is after last T20 WC
Mohammed Shami has been hitting the deck hard and making things difficult for the opposition batters despite staying away from the Indian setup for almost a year.
Team India endured a huge blow just ahead of the T20 World Cup as star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the showpiece event due to a back injury. The woes piled as Deepak Chahar, one of the reserve players, too joined the list of absentees, after sustaining injuries to his back and hip. Despite taking a huge jolt in the form of injuries, the Indian pace battery comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Shami have done an exceptional job.
Arshdeep has so far picked nine wickets, while Bhuvneshwar has maintained an economy of less than six runs an over. Rohit Sharma has been operating the two with the new ball and has mostly introduced Shami in the mid-overs, who has delivered the captain with crucial breakthroughs as seen in the match against Pakistan. Shami had then broke the dangerous partnership between Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed, trapping the latter LBW on 51 off 34 as they were shifting the momentum away from India.
The veteran pacer has been hitting the deck hard and making things difficult for the opposition batters despite staying away from the Indian setup for almost a year. Shami was not considered for T20Is following the previous World Cup held in UAE, despite spearheading the attack of Gujarat Titans, who won the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.
Sharing his thoughts on the same, the pacer during an interaction with mediapersons said that he was "always ready" in his mind, also mentioning the communication between him and the management. "It all depends on preparation, and the team management always tells you to get ready," Shami said after India's five-wicket win over Bangladesh in Adelaide on Wednesday.
"As and when the team requires, you will get the call, is what we are always told. If you have seen my videos, I am never out of practice and I always continue with my training," he added.
Shami's absence in the national side was strongly felt during the Asia Cup, where India went down against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Following the dismal show at the continental tournament, the pacer was recalled for the South Africa and Australia T20Is, but didn't feature in either of the two after returning positive for Covid-19. However, he burst onto the scene with an exceptional final over in the warm-up fixture against Australia, during which he went to scalp three wickets and successfully defended 10 runs.
"It's not always easy to switch from one format to another red and white balls. It's about how well you are connected with the team and how well you bond with them," Shami spoke about his relationship with current setup.
"These are things that depends, and secondly, yes, I am playing T20Is after last World T20 and I agree that a player needs confidence and flow more than the colour of the ball. Obviously you need practice."
India will now lock horns with Zimbabwe in Melbourne on Sunday, which is their final Super 12 encounter at the competition.
