Clarity, courage help Mohammed Shami in ODI comeback

Mohammed Shami

Seasoned India pacer Mohammed Shami said he wasn't thinking about his long lay off from ODI cricket and approached his comeback game with a clear mind as he is well-versed with the white-ball behaviour.

The first ODI against England on Monday was Shami's first appearance in the format after almost a gap of two years. He last played in India's 51-run loss to Australia in November 2020. "It wasn't a small break, but of three years," Shami, who claimed three for 31 at The Oval on Tuesday, said during a chat with bowling coach Paras Mhambrey on BCCI.tv. "Nothing was going on in my head regarding the gap.

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I've become very comfortable with the team. We travel together and have been playing together for like a decade now. "Everyone knows their job and after playing so much of cricket, if you come with a question mark in your mind, then I believe it's not good." It was also a milestone match for Shami, who became the fastest Indian and third fastest bowler overall to take 150 scalps in ODI cricket.

"It's extremely important to come with a clear mind as you already know what you need to do, where you need to pitch the ball, the variations in white-ball...these are basics. You also need to be courageous from heart and if you are, then you can settle in any format at any given moment."

29-11-2020
The last time Mohammed Shami played in an ODI - against Australia at Sydney. India lost by 51 runs