India's premier fast bowler Mohammed Shami named two former pacers who played important roles in his development throughout the career.
As the cricket world has come to a standstill due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, the players are taking it to social media to interact with fellow cricketers and fans. While some are organizing Q&A sessions on Twitter, many are also going live on Instagram with fellow teammates and cricketers to talk about the game and beyond.
In one such session, India and Bengal's premier fast bowler Mohammed Shami interacted with another Bengal veteran Manoj Tiwary. The duo touched upon various topics, and Shami also revealed the names of two fast bowlers who helped him during the initial stages of his career.
The Indian bowler revealed that during his time at IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, he initially faced difficulty in interacting with Pakistan great Wasim Akram due to his seniority, but the latter initiated the conversation and helped him significantly.
"When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him," said Shami.
"Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well," Shami said.
Shami had worked with Zaheer during the former's time with Delhi Capitals, who were then known as Delhi Daredevils.
"Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball," he said.
