'Wake him up at 2 am and give him the ball. He'll bowl superb outswing': India great compares Shami to legendary Kapil

IPL 2022: He was breathing fire for his new IPL franchise and Shami's three-wicket burst set up Gujarat's five-wicket win against Lucknow.

In his new IPL spell with Gujarat Titans, Mohammed Shami rattled Lucknow Super Giants with his devastating opening spell on Monday. He was accurate with his Test match line and length, which paid dividends on the Wankhede strip. He scythed through the opposition top-order by getting KL Rahul caught behind for nought on the first ball of the match. He then castled Quinton de Kock for seven and bowled Manish Pandey with a delivery that nipped back in.

Mohammed Shami (L) and Kapil Dev

He was breathing fire for his new IPL franchise and Shami's three-wicket burst set up Gujarat's five-wicket win. The seasoned pacer, who is known for his upright seam position, returned with figures of 3/25 to restrict Lucknow to 158 for six.

The 31-year-old Shami is often bracketed among the bowlers with the best seam position in modern-day cricket, and former India Ravi Shastri has underlined the pacer's ability to get movement irrespective of the format. Shastri also gave the example of legendary Kapil Dev, who was a brilliant exponent of seam bowling.

"He's got very fit and hungry. And, he's got swing in his hands. I used to say, 'Wake Kapil Dev at 2 am and ask him to bowl. He will bowl superb outswing'. Few players including Shami have got that skill. His seam release is brilliant... only Jimmy Anderson comes close. Irrespective of the format, Shami's seam presentation helps him get movement. Mumbai tracks have got a bit of moisture at the start and Shami can get a couple of wickets in the opening spell," Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.

Shastri also spoke about Shubman Gill's return after a long injury lay-off. The Titans opener registered a nought against Lucknow but Shastri feels he can rediscover the touch if he gives himself time at the crease.

"I'm a big fan of him (Shubman). He's got every shot and a great attitude. He has to focus on shot selection and spend time in the middle. Even if he scores two in the first six balls, he can make up for it in the next six balls. He's got the talent. He should be calm instead of over-trying. Gill has had many injuries but he is looking confident now. He picked that brilliant catch against Lucknow and his attempt shows that he's forgotten about the injury," Shastri elaborated.