BackMohammed Shami sets the pace
Has this seamer from Uttar Pradesh found a permanent spot in the Indian cricket team?
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What a bowler! Where was he till now!" exclaimed former Pakistan pacer and bowling coach Aaqib Javed after watching the mesmerizing spell of Mohammed Shami’s debut One Day International (ODI) against Pakistan in Delhi in January. Javed could hardly believe that Shami got that opportunity only because India’s other pace bowlers—Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, S. Sreesanth, Umesh Yadav and R. Vinay Kumar—were injured. Javed, who has been a mentor for young Pakistan pace bowlers like Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan, went on to add, “Mark my words, in a year or two he will be India’s No.1 Test bowler."
It may just be a coincidence but Shami has always got his big break because of someone’s injury. In 2012, before his ODI debut, Shami made headlines for the first time when he got eight wickets in the Duleep Trophy final after Abu Nechim pulled out owing to injury.
However, Shami never needed any luck or favour to make it to the playing eleven once he was part of the squad. In the epic draw in Johannesburg, South Africa, last week, Shami not only played ahead of experienced fast bowlers like Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but looked more threatening than Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma.
It has been an incredible upsurge for Shami, who made his Test debut in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens last month against the West Indies. Kolkata is the karmbhoomi for Shami, who plays for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. In the Test, Shami got nine wickets by conceding 118 runs in 30.1 overs. Praising Shami for his immaculate line and length after his dream debut, Indian captain M.S. Dhoni summed it up, explaining why the Uttar Pradesh bowler would be a decisive factor abroad. “You need a bit of pace to dominate. You can get a bit of reverse swing, and he’s got very good seam positioning, which means he can reverse the ball away from the right-handed batsmen. So on wickets that have a bit more bounce, I think he will be even more effective with the ball going both ways," Dhoni said after winning the Test match against the West Indies.
If Shami played a significant part in hastening the collapse of the South African middle order in the first innings at the New Wanderers stadium in South Africa, he was also the most successful bowler in the last innings of the match, when the pitch became better for batting.
“His balance is marvellous. High arm and slightly slinging sort of action helps him in getting late swing. He is accurate from the very beginning, unlike Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, because of his smooth action," says 41-year-old Javed from Dubai. He is the head coach of the United Arab Emirates cricket team.
Shami is deceptive and surprises his opponents by consistently bowling at a speed of 140 kmph. His father Tauseef Ahmad says Shami learnt a lot under the tutelage of former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Wasim Akram. “He used to go to receive Wasim from the airport and drop him too, as he desperately wanted to spend quality time with him. Fast bowling ka riyaz karna unhone hi sikhaya(Akram taught him how to practise fast bowling)."
But it has been an enormously hard journey for the pacer from Uttar Pradesh. His village, Sehazpur Ali Nagar, never witnessed a rousing reception by a 40,000-odd crowd when Shami returned after playing his first ODI. The 23-year-old soon realized that a replacement bowler’s continuation in the team depends on sustained success. Just one decent ODI series (three wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 5.20) against England wasn’t good enough for him to be in the team for the Champions Trophy in England in June. Once again, however, an injury to another fast bowler (Pathan) in that tournament allowed Shami to make a comeback for the tri-nation series in the West Indies in June-July. He has not looked back since.
“Lamba chalega, taange acchi hai (he will play for a long time, he has strong legs). Obviously, you can’t compare anyone with Waqar Younis but his body shape is proportionally balanced and reminds me a bit of Waqar’s early days," says Javed.
According to Shami’s father, himself a club bowler in the 1970s, bowling fast is in Shami’s blood. His elder brother, Haseeb Ahmad, is a pace bowler and his younger brother, Mohammad Kaif, is an Under-19 club pacer. “In our village, we didn’t have great facilities but that hardly discouraged us from bowling fast. We made a pitch in our backyard which was just 20 yards and my sons loved bowling bouncers," says the proud father.
Shami has certainly come a long way in 2013. His Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise KKR didn’t think much of him (he played just three matches this season) but it is unlikely that other franchises will make the same mistake when the IPL auction is held in February. After all, not too many players get a chance to play for India after just 15 first-class games. And rarely does an Indian bowler become the most reliable and first choice in ODI and Test cricket within a span of 12 months. The journey has just begun for Shami.
Vimal Kumar is IBN7’s deputy sports editor and the author of Sachin: Cricketer of the Century.
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