ST LUCIA: From snatches of conversations with Mohammed Shami managed at the training field and while waiting at the airport, one thing was pretty clear – he doesn’t take his place for granted.
Neither does he believe in destiny though it played a role in his rise from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh to a first-division club in Kolkata, domestic cricket and finally a Test debut at his adopted home. If his quick rise raised eyebrows, his long hiatus due to injury also amused few. But he has bounced back in style here.
PAINFUL RECOVERY
The comeback wasn’t easy. Once in crutches after a painful left knee operation, Shami used 18 months away from cricket to shed weight and test his legs to ensure he didn’t have to endure another break.
“When the operation happened, there was doubt in my mind, but when I went through rehab at the NCA for 7-8 months it went out of mind because we had done so much hard work and put so much load on the knee. So, there was no worry about the load to come. It was just about confidence after that and I was trying to continue from where I had left off,” Shami said on Sunday ahead of the third Test.
His comeback has been promising. He has extracted bounce and the right amount of movement to keep West Indies batsmen on the edge. He has the knack of hitting the right length that keeps batsmen on the back-foot. Shami is back to enjoying his bowling, which India needs to get good results.
{{/usCountry}}His comeback has been promising. He has extracted bounce and the right amount of movement to keep West Indies batsmen on the edge. He has the knack of hitting the right length that keeps batsmen on the back-foot. Shami is back to enjoying his bowling, which India needs to get good results.
{{/usCountry}}BOUNCER WEAPON
Shami’s bouncer has been the talk of the series. To be able to get carry despite not being tall speaks volumes about the effort he has put into his bowling.
“There are only two ways to test the batsmen – either you can pitch it up or bowl short. My plan is to make batsmen uncomfortable, find out what does that and keep doing it. I was trying to read the batsmen’s weakness early,” said Shami, who has taken eight wickets in the first two Tests.
“The effort is to quickly work out at what length there is more bounce and at what length to bowl and make batsmen uncomfortable. We also used the short ball in terms of change and we got the benefit of that.”
Shami looks leaner and fitter, something he has admitted to working on for some time now. “My only focus was to reduce my weight as much as possible and control my diet as much as possible because that would mean getting back to fitness would be easier. Even so I have lost nearly 14-15 kgs which went above because I was in bed for two months. So had to work hard to lose it all and the result you can see now,” said Shami.
Thanks to his new fitness regimen, Shami can bowl long spells. It has given him wickets but more importantly, confidence to do well with the new and old ball. But he is one who wouldn’t think too much about the pitch. With the ability to make the ball skid through, swing it with the seam up or make it bounce, Shami has returned with a new hunger, and India could be well served if they utilise him intelligently.