Team India boasts of a fast-bowling attack that skipper Virat Kohli says he is proud to lead. And the man who has been an integral part of the transformation of a young attack into world beaters is Mohammed Shami. Having started off under former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shami is now the leader of the pack under Kohli.
While bowlers tend to get slower as a Test match progresses, Shami is someone who gets better with each passing session and has time and again shown that he can be a match-winner in the second innings for Team India. So what is his area of focus when he has that ball in hand?
“I try to ensure that my pace doesn’t fall below the 140kph mark. But my focus is on the seam and swing. I have always tried to make sure that these two things remain perfect. I can bring pace with my physical strength and you can always work on it by doing strength training. But I have always given priority to swing and seam and never for a minute let them take a backseat,” he smiles.
And the reverse swing? Did Shami have it from the word go? Or did it take time to master the art? The pacer says that it is something that has come to him with time and after a lot of training.
“As you keep playing, you learn a lot of things. It is all about following one process after the other. So, when you have learnt one trick and mastered it, you then move to the next one and work on that. In the beginning, I didn’t have much idea about reverse swing.
“But slowly I came to understand what the process of reverse swing is all about and how it can be an integral part of a pace bowler’s armoury. Then I started working on it and I had to work hard,” he explained.
It is often said that a bowler is only as good as his captain allows him to be because at the end of the day it is the skipper who has to trust his bowler to deliver. And Shami says the relation between Kohli and him is there for all to see on the field.
“Do I need to say this? I think the results bear testimony to the fact that Virat backs us to the core. He has always given us that freedom to do what we feel confident about. Also, it is very important at the international level to have a captain who knows your strengths and weaknesses and also backs you. This in turn helps you raise your game.
“Also, Virat has a lot of trust in our abilities and he gets the result because as a bowler, all you need is for the captain to back you and believe in you and your vision,” he insists.
Critics had started saying that Shami had become a red-ball specialist till he showed the world he can be a force to reckon with even in white-ball cricket. Now that he plays all the three formats, how different is the preparation going into a format? Shami says it is all in the mind.
“Mindset obviously does change as per the format. In terms of skills also you do need to change and adapt as per the format because what will work for you in Tests might not work for you in the shorter formats of the game. It is all about the mindset and how you adapt to the situation,” he said.