A look at the rise, fall and resurgence of Shami
The Indian pace attack has always been a delight to watch, as India have produced some prolific pacers in the last decade. Mohammed Shami is one such pacer who has managed to make an impact in world cricket in a short amount of time, courtesy his sheer pace and occasional seam. Let us have a look at his high-flying career so far.
Early days and recognition
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Shami failed to make it to the state U-19 squad, following which he came to Kolkata. After playing for Bengal U-22 team, he made it to the Ranji squad in 2010. Although not regular, he was selected for India-A in 2012, and after 15 first class and 15 List A games, he made it to the Indian side in 2013.
Debabrata Das was highly impressed with Shami's skills
Debabrata Das, a domestic cricketer, initially spoke on Mohammed Shami's performance and skills, as he said, "Shami never wanted money. His goal was the stumps, the sound that comes from hitting the stumps. Ever since I saw him, most of his wickets were bowled."
Immediate impact and rise
Shami fared well in his debut ODI, thus becoming the first Indian bowler to bowl more than four maidens in his debut match. The same year, he made a tremendous impact on Test debut, claiming 11 wickets against West Indies in two Tests. As a result of his consistency, he also became India's leading pacer in the 2015 World Cup.
Injuries led him to struggle in international arena
Following the end of the 2015 World Cup, it was revealed that he was playing with recurring left knee pain and later underwent surgery. Post the surgery, his return to international cricket in 2016 was delayed by a hamstring injury. He also missed out of the playing XI during ICC World T20 2016, having spent a year without international cricket.
The struggle allowed him to stage a steady comeback
Although he made a comeback in 2016, it wasn't a fruitful one and could not make it to the ODI squad. However, mid-2017 saw him make a comeback in all the formats and has been performing consistently ever since, especially in Tests. In 2019, he claimed his 100th ODI wicket and became the fastest Indian to do so, in just 56 matches.
Top contender for ICC World Cup 2019
Having staged a prolific turnaround and comeback, Shami is a hot favourite to be a part of the World Cup squad. With the World Cup in England, Shami would like to extract advantage in seam-friendly conditions. Nonetheless, he's played just four ODIs in England, Shami has eight wickets at an average of 19 and an economy of 4.67, while his best figure is 3/28.
