Over the past few years, Mohammed Shami has emerged as one of India’s frontline seamers. He has become a certainty in the Indian bowling lineup alongside Jasprit Bumrah across different formats. With his strong performances across the three formats – Shami is now an ideal workhorse for skipper Virat Kohli.
Taling to BCCI TV, Shami revealed his secret behind being successful in all formats. The right-arm said that when a bowler starts pitching the ball at the desired lengths, then they can be triumphant in different formats. Thus, having control over the ball is the most crucial thing.
"My focus area has been the red ball and I am working on my lengths and seam movement," Shami . "I have always felt that once you start pitching the ball at the lengths you desire, you can succeed in different formats. What you need is control. I have done well with the white ball and now spending time in the nets bowling with the red ball. You don't bowl in the same area since both formats are different, but your basics don't change much."
Talking about India’s current pace battery, which is widely considered amongst the best in the world at the moment, Shami remarked that it was the camaraderie between them which makes them dangerous.
"The success of this group is largely because of the camaraderie we share among ourselves," he said. "There is no real secret as such but it lies in each other's strengths. We have a common goal and all of us look to collectively achieve that.
Shami, often called second-innings Shami for his heroic performances in the second innings of Test matches, further revealed that the Indian seamers now hunt in pairs and that there is no rivalry amongst them as they all want to obtain a collective goal.
"There is healthy competition but there is no rivalry within the group. If you look at the numbers, we have managed to pick 20 wickets almost on all our away tours. Even at home in the Freedom Trophy [against South Africa] or the pink-ball Test [against Bangladesh], the fast bowling group was very effective. We have a lot of discussion among ourselves. We hunt in pairs."
Shami was in imperious form in the recently concluded IPL 2020, taking 20 wickets from 14 games. He would be looking to come out all guns blazing as India gets ready to battle it out against Australia.
The series begins with the first ODI on November 27.
