The rise and rise of Indian pacer Mohammed Shami
What's the story
India's pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has time again proved why he is the nucleus of the Indian bowling attack. The 29-year-old marvellously portrayed his prowess by denying New Zealand the winning run in the third T20I earlier this week. Shami got rid of both Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to force a Super Over. Here's more on Shami.
Purple patch
A prized possession for India
Shami understands the facets of his bowling well now. Right from his international debut wherein he bowled four maidens against Pakistan, his form has been phenomenal. He is as effective with the new ball as he is in the death overs, coming up with accurate yorkers, not to forget the reverse swing he generates. However, this transformation included numerous hurdles.
Intricacies
Successive injuries stalled his career for a while
While Shami was a standout bowler for India in the World Cup 2015, his career graph plunged big time due to injuries thereafter. The obnoxious string of injuries kept him out of the national squad for close to 16 months. The dreadful tenure also brought in a period of despair wherein his issues with wife Hasin Jahan snowballed.
Transformation
A joyous ride following a dry spell
A fiery Shami bounced back a year later in the West Indies Test series and that was when his career took off. As compared to 47 scalps in 12 Tests from 2013 to 2015, his figures rose to 97 wickets at 26.34 in the next four years. Furthermore, impressive performances both at home and overseas made him the toast of the town.
Records
Shami's numbers speak volumes about his current form
Shami is the fastest Indian bowler to 100 ODI wickets (56 matches). With a six-for against Australia in 2018, he broke Anil Kumble's record of most Test wickets by an Indian in a calendar year overseas. Shami is only the fifth Indian pacer to take five wickets in the fourth innings of a Test after Karsan Ghavri, Kapil Dev, Madan Lal and Javagal Srinath.
Glory
Shami has been performing well across formats
Whether it's his splendid Test spells in England and Australia or a magnificent hat-trick to dismantle Afghanistan in the World Cup 2019, Shami and breakthroughs go hand in hand. His distinction has now been transferred to T20 internationals as well where he voraciously complements Jasprit Bumrah. Shami will be pivotal for the Men in Blue in the all-important ICC World T20 2020.