Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan expressed his surprise at Mohammed Shami’s bowling performance during the ICC World Cup 2023. The Right-arm pacer had the most wickets at the end of the competition, impressing everyone with his wicket-taking skills.
Being the leading wicket-taker in the game, Mohammed Shami has been the Indian team’s most brilliant performer when it comes to the bowling department. The 33-year-old has finished the tournament’s best wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven games and created a record for the greatest bowling performance by an Indian pacer when he took seven wickets against New Zealand in the semi-final.
Speaking on ANI, Muttiah Muralitharan feels that Mohammed Shami bowled very differently in the ICC World Cup 2023 and expressed his surprise at witnessing his bowling at such a consistent level.
“I was surprised with the way Mohammed Shami bowled. He is a great bowler, but he was really different in this World Cup,” Muttiah Muralitharan said.
It is worth noting that Mohammed Shami was not part of India’s starting lineup during the initial league-stage games against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. However, he was included in the team after all-rounder Hardik Pandya got injured, and he made an immediate impact with his bowling skills.
Mohammed Shami made his comeback in India’s sixth league-stage match against New Zealand after missing the first half of the campaign. In the history of the ODI World Cup, he has taken the fifth-most wickets, with an impressive best strike rate.
Team India has been on the road, playing nonstop cricket. That month saw the Asia Cup, which was followed by the 2023 World Cup. Between the two tournaments, there was a three-match One-Day International series and the senior players were rested for the T20 series against Australia.
In the current T20 series against Australia, veteran Indian players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav were rested for the five-match T20 series, but they are expected to return to the team for the South Africa tour, which starts on December 10th.
Team India excelled in the ODI World Cup 2023, winning nine of their nine league games. The Men in Blue were in fine form in the semifinals, smashing New Zealand by 70 runs before losing the final in a heartbreaking way, extending their ICC title wait.
