Former Indian opener Robin Uthappa hailed Mohammed Shami for his brilliant performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup drawing a comparison of him with the likes of the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli. The Right-arm pacer continued his fine form picking up his second five-wicket haul in the mega event.
Mohammed Shami continued his unrelenting streak of success in bowling with a figure of 5/18 coming in as one change bowler for the team. After taking five wickets in two of the three matches he’s played so far, Shami now has 14 wickets at an astounding average of 6.71.
Speaking to India Today, Robin Uthappa heaped praise on Mohammed Shami for his exceptional performance in the marquee event compared with the likes of legendary Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath and feels that Shami has the same level of drive and passion as Virat Kohli and is just as capable of making an impact with the bowling for the team.
“He is not considered a legend yet because he is still playing, There is so much left to achieve for someone like Mohammed Shami. His personality is quite similar to Zaheer bhai and Srinath Sir, who have done service for India for decades.
“So I think he is a similar kind of bowler, that same attitude, that same hunger, that same grit. He has the same caliber that we hold Virat Kohli to. What Virat Kohli is the batter to Team India, Mohammed Shami is the bowler to Team India,” Robin Uthappa said.
Mohammed Shami, who claimed 45 wickets in just 14 innings, also emerged as India’s top wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup. He broke the previous mark of 44 set by Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan and would be keen on adding more wickets to his tally going forward in the tournament.
Mohammed Shami Is Very Clinical With His Approach, With His Processes – Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa believes that Mohammed Shami’s success in the major event can be attributed to his ability to keep things simple. He has been praised for consistently sticking to the process set out to take advantage of the conditions.
“He is very clinical with his approach, with his processes. He just does the simple things, over and over again. We just saw Virat doing that again, the hard work in those first 10 overs and capitalized later. Very similar. Shami comes out there, keeps it simple, hits the right areas, and occasionally bowls bad balls. The result of any delivery is very in tune with the process,” Robin Uthappa added.
Mohammed Shami claimed his third five-wicket haul in ODI World Cup history at an incredible average of 12.91. Despite participating in just three games, the right-arm pacer is among the leading wicket-takers in the showpiece event. On Sunday, November 5, India and South Africa will square off in a tantalizing top-of-the-table match in Kolkata.
