The Mohammed Shami story is something that is truly inspirational and has many facets of determination and how it propels an individual to break the barriers of personal trauma and give his very best for the nation whenever asked. When Virat Kohli took over the captaincy from MS Dhoni, the Indian Test team was in all kinds of trouble and was placed seventh in the ICC Test rankings. With Virat Kohli at the helm of Indian cricket, he completely transformed how Test cricket was being played. According to Mohammed Shami, the former Indian skipper had made it very clear that he needs the fast bowlers to take twenty wickets and contribute to a winning cause much more than the batsmen.
Virat's process saw the rise of one of the fierce India pace batteries which include the likes of Japrit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Bhuvaneshwar Siraj, and Mohammed Shami. The change in the attitude of the fast bowlers carried over to the ODIs from the Test matches and to this date, they are dominating world cricket. India decimated England in the first ODI and bundled them out for 110. Jasprit Bumrah claimed a total of six wickets and joining him in his exploits was Mohammed Shami who claimed a total of three wickets.
Mohammed Shami made his comeback in ODI cricket after a long layoff that spanned three years, but with his very first over he showed everybody including the opposition that why he is hailed as one of the greatest fast bowlers India has ever produced. When asked about the mindset that he had, Mohammed Shami was very quick to respond and said that he entered the field with a clear approach and knew exactly what to do on the cricket field.
"It was a break of three years and by any means, it wasn't a small one. When I was preparing for the series, I had no thoughts about the gap. I am extremely comfortable with the team as it has been more than a decade now that I have been traveling with them. After playing so much international cricket, everybody is clear about their role", said Shami who picked 150 ODI wickets at the Oval while playing against England.
