It is very difficult not to respect Mohmmed Shami for his mastery over his craft.
Also, how much a player means to the dressing room speaks volumes about his worth.
Just as he was coming off the field after a match-turning 5/51 against Australia, it was rested pacer Mohammed Siraj who came out and was engaged in a bear hug with his senior pace bowling partner.
Shami didn't bowl a devastating spell like Siraj did in Colombo last week, but considering the quality of opposition combined with sultry and unhelpful conditions for fast bowling in Chandigarh, this spell was as lethal, if not more.
Siraj knew it more than anyone else as to what Shami had done for the team.
"We enjoy each other's success a lot. We have spent the last so many years together and this is a result of the same," Shami said during a snap interview with host broadcasters Jio Cinema.
If one looked at the kind of bowling composition India played against Pakistan, it is difficult to imagine how Shami would fit in if India is playing two spinners and Hardik Pandya is the third seamer during most matches.
It is also impossible in Indian conditions for any pacer to play 11 games in the World Cup (if India reaches final) in six weeks, including travel, but Shami cooling his heels during important games would be a travesty as India is looking at multi-skilled cricketers, especially those who can bolster the batting. It can be very difficult to adjust being in and out of the playing XI, but after 179 international games for India across formats in the last 10 years, Shami knows how to adjust current demands.
The first spell to David Warner, where the left-hander faced 11 balls and scored only one run, was where Shami's skills were in full bloom. It didn't matter that it wasn't a red Dukes or SG Test ball with a pronounced seam in his hands.
"When you operate with the new ball, you have the responsibility of finding the right line and length, set the tempo and that's exactly what I wanted to do today," he said.