Mohammed Shami has reaffirmed his status as one of India’s premier pace bowlers in ODI cricket, taking an impressive nine wickets in just two matches during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. His exceptional pace-bowling performances in Dharamshala against New Zealand and Lucknow against England were nothing short of brilliant.
Former Indian captain and 1983 World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar has showered heavy praise on the Indian pacer. With two brilliant performances in the tournament, Shami has also given a lot of confidence to Indian fans for the remainder of the World Cup. Sunil Gavaskar has said that Mohammed Shami is just repeating what Kapil Dev used to do. He is just bowling in the nets and not distracting himself with other routines.
Legendary Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has also said that Shami’s performance shows his hard work. Gavaskar said, “There is a lot of hard work there. When he goes back home, got several pitches made apparently, and he just bowls and bowls over there. That is what is important. I don’t know whether he is a gym person. You can be at the gym all day. But at the end of the day… Mohammed Shami is doing exactly what Kapil Dev used to do, just bowl and bowl in the nets.”
Sunil Gavaskar further added that his focus to just go and bowl in the nets has reaped him rewards. “He is not listening to all your bio-mechanic experts who might say ‘Oh no, no bowl only 15-20 deliveries in the nets’. He knows that as a fast bowler, he needs a lot more mileage in his legs as he runs into the bowl… when the drone camera captures it, he looks like a cheetah or a leopard going for the kill. It’s a fantastic sight.”
Mohammed Shami had an impressive performance against England, taking crucial wickets like Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, and Adil Rashid. What’s noteworthy is that he managed to clean-bowl three of these four batsmen. Shami seems to be in fantastic form, effortlessly picking up wickets in every match he plays. In the recent game, he bowled seven overs, including two maiden overs. His World Cup record is equally astounding, with 40 wickets in just 13 matches, a remarkable achievement for any fast bowler.
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