Mohammad Shami Does What He is Used to Doing

Benching Mohammed Shami for batting strength was always an interesting move. While it is justified with India wanting more batting depth and with very few all-round options available, the move did not pay off. Shardul Thakur, in the games he played, was not as effective. While many agreed with his selection for batting depth, the move slowly started favoring those calling for Shami‘s inclusion. Eventually, Shami made his way in with Hardik Pandya injured.

He was India’s leading wicket-taker in the last World Cup and also played a huge part in bouncing teams out on India’s run to the Semi-Finals in 2015. Interestingly, Shami did not play in the initial stages of the 2019 World Cup as well. He was left out then for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The move was justified by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s recent success. He had the ability to swing the ball up front, increased his pace to the late 130s, and was very accurate with his Yorkers in the death overs. In the IPL, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had two purple cups during that World Cup Cycle, and he could bat fairly well to classify himself as a bowling allrounder.

His wrist position and ability to consistently hit the stumps make him a weapon without looking like one. In 2019, he came in and won a match against Afghanistan when the game seemed to be slipping away. He was the second to take a World Cup hat-trick for India after Chetan Sharma. He had a five-for in that tournament against England as well.

Coming to this tournament, Mohammed Shami once again did not start. He was left out for batting depth as India opted for Mohammad Siraj’s brilliance with the new ball and Shardul Thakur’s batting ability. To put things into perspective, the three games Shami got were on tracks not as bowling-friendly.

He played at Dharamshala, Lucknow and Wankhede. Both Dharamshala and Wankhede are known to be favorable for batters while Lucknow if anything provides support for the slower bowlers. Shami though has shown in the past that conditions do not define his bowling.

In Test Cricket too Shami often does better in the second innings when the track is worn and less favourable for pacers. His work was in play with Shami taking 5 against New Zealand, 4 against England and then another 5 against Sri Lanka.

Against New Zealand, he was the star in the death overs. With New Zealand well placed and looking at a 300+ score, Shami came in and applied the brakes well. Wickets with yorkers and just a hint of reverse swing are evidence of his magic on the day.

After three great performances questions are now on the rise as to why he was left out for so long. In Shami, India has a potent third seamer, and probably the most skilled player in the Indian Team. In Shardul Thakur though India has an extra batter down the order. With Pandya around Shardul Thakur fits the bill as a fourth seamer.

Shami though is not too bad with the bat himself. While his average is lower than Shardul Thakur’s, Shami can rotate the strike as shown in the Test format. His overall World Cup numbers make him all the more difficult to avoid. He is now India’s leading wicket taker in World Cups and also has the most four wicket-hauls in World Cup Cricket.

In an ideal scenario, Mohammed Shami can well be challenging Siraj’s spot. Siraj though is showing his skills up front, and did really well to run through Sri Lanka. With the tournament winding down though tracks are going to feel the wear. In such a scenario reverse swing and seam movement will come into play. When it comes to extracting seam movement or reverse India will find it tough to find a player better than Mohammed Shami.