New Delhi: Mohammed Shami was hit for a beautiful drive on the off side by Shai Hope off the fourth ball of his fourth over during Windies chase of 269 on Thursday. Even though it was not a bad delivery, Hope had played a quality shot between point and covers which not only yielded him four runs, but also instilled confidence in the batsman. Any other bowler would have tried to go for a short-pitched delivery or a yorker for the next ball, but not Shami. He went back to his bowling mark, took a deep breath and then came out with perhaps one of the best deliveries bowled with the new ball in the ongoing World Cup. The ball, which pitched on the fifth stump line on a good length, came back sharply towards Hope who missed it by a distance and saw the furniture getting disturbed. After getting knocked over, the West Indies batter stood at the crease for at least five to 10 seconds, failing to believe what had just happened.
It was a delivery which would have made even the best of the batters look like a mannequin which was just standing there and unable to do anything. The Shami delivery had a seam presentation which every bowler dreams of having; the landing of the ball on the edge of the seam was just perfect; it was a brilliant in-dipper which ended Hope's hope of winning the match for the Windies. The delivery was just a showcase of how much Shami has improved in the last two years. It was a proof of how much effort Shami was putting in each and every delivery he was bowling. It was not a case of co-incidence or momentary brilliance from the right-handed pacer who had to sit in the dugouts in the first three matches of the ongoing tournament.
Before the Afghanistan game where Shami became the only second Indian bowler to take a World Cup hat-trick after Chetan Sharma, the 29-year-old was just sitting in the dug-out and chit-chatting with the other players who could not find a place in the playing XI. From carrying water bottles during the drinks break to claiming a hat-trick in his first game of this World Cup, it was stuff dreams are made of. While he was, on occasions, seen laughing and cracking jokes with his teammates, deep inside he was anxiously waiting to get the white Kookabura ball in his hand and role his magic on those 22 yards where he belongs.
And didn't he do it in style? In the two matches that Shami has played so far, he has picked up eight wickets giving away just 56 runs. In absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami has provided Virat Kohli with the early breakthroughs on which the Indian skipper depends heavily for winning the matches. Shami has taken 25 wickets in the 15 World Cup matches he has played so far in his career. And going by his performance in the last two matches, Kohli in all likelihood will go with him even though Bhuvi is expected to be fit for selection against England on Sunday.
Team that beats India will win World Cup: Vaughan
Manchester: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan hailed Team India's performance following their emphatic win against West Indies in their World Cup game in Manchester, and said that the team, which will manage to beat the Men in Blue, will win the coveted trophy on July 14. "Will stick to it... Whoever beats India will win the World Cup," tweeted Vaughan on Thursday after India defeated Windies by 125 runs. The two-time world champions have been in great form so far in the ongoing World Cup and are the only unbeaten team in the tournament till now.
With five wins from six games (one having resulted in no result), India are currently placed at the second spot in the points table and have almost confirmed their place in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan, who has been ruled out of the World Cup because of an injury, congratulated Virat Kohli's men and advised them to keep improving their game in the upcoming matches. "Let's keep raising the bar like this. Well done," Dhawan tweeted.
Other former cricketers also took to Twitter to congratulate Team India.
"They say the key to a successful team is balance and helping each other out. On a day when it looked like Team India may have gotten 30 runs short. The bowlers have stepped up in style! Top performance by the lads. Well done Yuzvendra Chahal," said Suresh Raina. "Dominance of the highest level from Team India. England must brace themselves, this Indian side is looking phenomenal dismissal of the day belongs to Mohammed Shami for cleaning up Shai Hope," said R.P. Singh while issuing a warning to England who will face India in a must-win encounter on Sunday.
I give full credit to myself: Shami
Manchester: Mohammed Shami was accused of domestic violence last year which resulted in his exclusion from BCCI's central contract and an enquiry was also ordered.
However, the 29-year-old pacer has answered his critics with his show on the field. In just two games for the Men in Blue in the ongoing World Cup, Shami has scalped eight wickets, that too, with a decent economy of 3.46. After India's 125-run victory over West Indies here on Thursday, the pacer was asked as whom would he like to credit for his top notch show by mediapersons and Shami answered: "Credit? Who else but me. I give full credit to myself."
"Because I had to endure all that I was made to go through. What I went through in the past 18 months, it's me and only me who had to suffer. So credit goes to me," Shami added without getting deep into the incident. Shami further said that with the issue being over now, his main focus has been to do well for the country. "Yes, I thank the Almighty for giving me the strength to fight everything -- from family issues to fitness. I am now only focussed on doing well for my country."
The pacer also pointed out that he had worked a lot on improving his fitness which has helped him to deliver his best. "It wasn't only about failing YoYo test. There are times when your rhythm goes for a toss. I failed that's a separate thing but then I have worked hard and improved my fitness. I feel I am in a good zone now as I have lost weight, got rhythm and everything is working for me," he opined. "I now try to maintain my diet, training regime consistently. Because I am feeling stronger, not getting tired easily, my speed has also increased. And as far as skill is concerned, I always knew I can perform well on any track," Shami added.
The pacer, who accounted for the wicket of a dangerous Chris Gayle on Thursday, said playing in IPL with the self-procalimed 'Universe Boss' gave him an idea how to exploit his weakness. "Since we played IPL together, I have a bit of an idea about him when you play together for some time. I knew that if I don't allow him to chance his arms, he will get out in desperation trying to hit me," Shami said. When quizzed how he felt when he wasn't included in the playing eleven in India's first four games, Shami said: "Look, 15 people have come to represent the country. You must have had something special that you are in that 15, isn't it?" "It is about remaining patient and positive and having a clever mind," he concluded.
- Aakash Kumar
