If Mohammed Shami spearheaded India's bowling attack, it was veteran opener Rohit Sharma, who played a captain's knock to seal India's sixth-straight win of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Sunday. Rohit's blistering knock followed by a bowling masterclass from pace ace Shami powered India to a comfortable win over defending champions England in match No.29 of the ICC event. After India extended its unbeaten run at the grandest stage, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar applauded pacer Shami for his bowling exploits at the showpiece event.
Roped in as a replacement for injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya, pacer Shami has strengthened his selection case with his bowling heroics. The senior fast bowler bagged a record-setting five-wicket haul against New Zealand in his first World Cup 2023 appearance at Dharamsala. The speedster then picked up four wickets to spark England's batting collapse in the recently concluded encounter at Lucknow's Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.
'Shami doing exactly what Kapil used to do'
Speaking to India Today after India thrashed England in the ICC World Cup 2023, batting legend Gavaskar shared his views about Shami's spectacular return to the Indian side. Giving a special mention to legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev, the former India skipper praised speed merchant Shami for looking after his cricketing fitness. "There is a lot of hard work there. When he goes back home, he has got several pitches made apparently, and he just bowls and bowls over there. That is what is important. He is looking at his personal cricketing fitness. What is his specialty? It's fast bowling. By bowling a number of overs in the nets where he stays. I don't know whether he is a gym person. You can be doing gym all day. But at the end of the day... Mohammed Shami is doing exactly what Kapil Dev used to do, just bowl and bowl in the nets," Gavaskar said.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to India Today after India thrashed England in the ICC World Cup 2023, batting legend Gavaskar shared his views about Shami's spectacular return to the Indian side. Giving a special mention to legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev, the former India skipper praised speed merchant Shami for looking after his cricketing fitness. "There is a lot of hard work there. When he goes back home, he has got several pitches made apparently, and he just bowls and bowls over there. That is what is important. He is looking at his personal cricketing fitness. What is his specialty? It's fast bowling. By bowling a number of overs in the nets where he stays. I don't know whether he is a gym person. You can be doing gym all day. But at the end of the day... Mohammed Shami is doing exactly what Kapil Dev used to do, just bowl and bowl in the nets," Gavaskar said.
{{/usCountry}}What record did Shami achieve against England?
Pacer Shami bagged the crucial wickets of Jonny Bairstow (14), Ben Stokes (0) and Moeen Ali (15) in the low-scoring encounter between India and England at Lucknow. Shami also removed Adil Rashid to secure his sixth four-wicket haul at the 50-over World Cup. India's Shami (6) and Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc (6) have taken the most four-wicket hauls in the history of the One Day International (ODI) World Cup. Chasing India's 230-run target at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, England folded for 129 in 34.5 overs to lose the match by 100 runs. With the win, Shami-starrer Team India has regained the top spot on the ICC World Cup points table.
'A leopard going for the kill'
"He is not listening to all your bio-mechanic experts who might say 'oh no, no bowl only 15-20 deliveries in the nets'. He knows that as a fast bowler, he really needs a lot more mileage in his legs as he runs in to bowl. "He is showing it. And the rhythm, it gets so good. When he is running into bowl, and when the drone camera captures it, he looks like a cheetah or a leopard going for the kill. It's a fantastic sight," Gavaskar added.