You get goosebumps when you listen to Mohammed Shami talking about suicidal thoughts amid a storm in his personal life in an Instagram Live session with Rohit Sharma during the COVID-induced lockdown. His career was in jeopardy for a brief period in 2018 when estranged wife, Hasin Jahan, accused him of adultery, domestic violence and match-fixing.
Suddenly, the man who barely gave public interviews was all over news channels, trying to clarify his stance on the matter. The Board of Control for Cricket in India cleared him, and the cricketing career continued despite legal fireworks by Jahan. How he recovered from the dark times to become India's highest wicket-taker in World Cups—45 in 14 matches—is more a story of mental strength. He always had the cricketing skills.
Since that episode in 2018, Shami has grown as a fast bowler. Now, his seam positions often draw compliments from the former players in the commentary panel. He is fitter than he was in 2015 and 2019. And the growth towards excellence began when he finished 2018 with 47 Test wickets in 12 matches at a strike rate of 49.00 and an economy of 3.30.
In 2019, he took 42 ODI wickets in 21 matches, 14 being World Cup wickets, again in only four games—he has not been the first choice in the initial games.
Four years ago in Southampton, he walked in against Afghanistan and took a match-winning hat-trick (4/40). Afghanistan lost by only 11 runs. This year, he started against New Zealand (5/54) and then demolished England (4/22) and Sri Lanka (5/18).
Manoj Tiwary: He proved nothing can affect his performance for India
His Bengal teammate and former India batsman Manoj Tiwary says the men in blue can do even better if Shami gets the new ball. "He is coming on at one change. I am just visualizing what would happen if Shami starts with the new ball. He is bowling the best length any fast bowler would bowl with the new ball," says Tiwary, adding how his calm temperament helped fight the rough waters.
"Shami got stronger as a player after the setback in his personal life. He made it a point to prove that nothing can affect his performance for the country. There was no added responsibility of taking care of a family. He has always been a hardworking lad. I am not surprised to see the way he is performing," Tiwary adds. "I have seen him very closely, and being a broadcaster helped me gauge the skill sets of a player better. And how he is executing those in pressure situations."
A strong mind and a fighterShami's coach, Mohammad Badruddin, agrees with Tiwary. "You run into problems in life. At times, it is difficult to control that, but if you can do it, you become stronger and then, every little problem becomes microscopic. He is strong. Or else it is hard to make a comeback after dealing with so much in your personal life. He is bowling like he used to a decade ago. He is fast and sticking to the right length," he says.
Badruddin feels preparing practice pitches in his hometown in Uttar Pradesh helped sort out the weak areas in his bowling. "That training is reaping benefits now. He was not idle during the lockdown. When you are a travelling cricketer, you don't have the time to go the extra mile to repair yourself. He worked on his white-ball abilities in that phase," added the coach.
No ego, no reaction or distraction
Shreevats Goswami, who has played with Shami in Bengal and against him in the Indian Premier League, feels his nature helps him stay grounded. He can cut out the noise and live in ignorance by just breathing cricket. "He never reacts to things people write or say about him. I think Shami does not have any ego. He was not part of the Indian team's scheme so much before the ODI World Cup. It did not affect him. He did not post cryptic tweets or stories on social media. He is a bit naive, which is a good thing. He manages his own thing and focuses on his game," said Goswami.
Goswami revealed Shami's deliveries would always take the outside edge of a batter. "If he swings it in on Indian patches, it is either on pads or clean-bowled. His deliveries dip and move a bit after pitching. It is difficult to read him sometimes," said the wicketkeeper-batsman, who was part of the victorious India U-19 team in 2008 led by Virat Kohli.
On Sunday, as India meets South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Shami will be keen to catch up with Trent Boult and Chaminda Vaas, who are at 49 World Cup wickets. Among the active cricketers, only Mitchell Starc (58 wickets) is ahead in the race. Australia pace great Glenn McGrath, who picked up 71 wickets in 39 appearances, tops the list.
"We just need the World Cup now because he may not get a chance in 2027," said Badruddin.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
