Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami discussed the rise of India’s pace bowling unit across the formats, which has given the squad confidence to prosper in ICC competitions as well as in abroad conditions across formats. The 33-year-old was the standout performer for India in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023.
The right-arm bowler has played a major part for the national team over the years, leading the seam bowling unit, especially in ODI Cricket and Test Cricket. Mohammed Shami was named to the 2023 ODI World Cup squad but was not included in the initial playing XI but made his way into the team as Hardik Pandya sustained an injury. Once in the playing XI, he led India’s undefeated run to the competition final.
In an interview with News18, Mohammed Shami expressed his satisfaction with Indian bowling’s recent rise, citing the country’s reputation for legendary batters over the years. The veteran pacer believes India’s bowling prowess journey began in 2013 and 2014, and he highlighted Indian pace bowlers’ performance in the ODI World Cup 2023, in which they ran through quality opposition batters.
“The people who used to like the Indian cricket team for their batting have now started cheering for us. There is no greater happiness than this. People talk about the performance of the bowlers during the World Cup, but, if you have to look at the overall picture, you have to go back to 2013 and 2014. That is where the journey started.
“If we look at the facts now, we only had three fast bowlers performing in the World Cup this time, which makes us believe that we have set the benchmark for future bowlers.
“The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah came in after, and then Mohammed Siraj. Like this, this team could set a benchmark on its own,” Mohammed Shami said.
Mohammed Shami hasn’t played a competitive game since the World Cup final on November 19. Despite missing the first four games, the right-arm bowler had a breakout World Cup, finishing with the most wickets. He took 24 wickets in 7 games, including three 5-wicket hauls and a 7-fer against New Zealand in the semifinals.
The bowler is expected to be fully fit for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), which could result in a call-up to Team India for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States if he manages to prove his form and fitness in the shorter format of the game.
