3 reasons why Mohammed Shami is India's greatest-ever ODI bowler
Mohammed Shami is at the absolute top of his game right now. The fast bowler picked up yet another five-wicket haul in the 2023 World Cup as India hammered Sri Lanka by 302 runs in Mumbai on Thursday, November 2.
Shami, who made his ODI debut back in January 2013 against Pakistan, has had an excellent career with the national team. He has played 97 matches in the 50-over format, with 185 wickets at an average of 24.08 and an economy rate of 5.54 to show for.
Where does Shami rank when it comes to the best to have ever represented the Men in Blue in the format? Arguably, he's right at the very top, with several factors being in his favor.
Here are three reasons why Mohammed Shami is India's greatest-ever ODI bowler.
#3 Mohammed Shami is an all-phase bowler in a batting-dominant era
Mohammed Shami is India's ninth-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket. Among the players above him, only Ravindra Jadeja is still active. And only Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan had careers extending into the 2010s.
Those above Shami on the list were part of a 50-over game that was more kind to the bowlers. They all made their debuts in the 1990s (Zaheer made his in 2000), when run-scoring wasn't nearly as rapid as it is now, and the game wasn't as skewed in favor of the batters.
Shami is part of a batting-dominant era where he is tested by several factors not in his control, including modified field restrictions and two new balls. And more importantly, unlike Jadeja, he is a bowler who can - and does - bowl at all phases of the innings. It is a testament to his versatility that even today, at 33 years old, he is reliable with the new ball, in the middle overs, and at the death.
Very few bowlers who have represented India in the ODI format can boast of the same skills. Jasprit Bumrah is definitely one of them, but there are a few areas in which Shami pips him - more on that later.
#2 Shami's ODI stats certainly put him in the reckoning
As mentioned earlier, Mohammed Shami is India's ninth-highest wicket-taker in ODIs. But that doesn't paint the entire picture.
Among the top 15 wicket-takers for the Men in Blue in the format, Shami has the best average (24.08) by a comfortable margin, with no one apart from Kuldeep Yadav (25.67) having a figure less than 27. And among the top 35, only Bumrah has a better average.
The veteran fast bowler's strike rate of 26.07 is also the best among all bowlers with more than 20 wickets for India in ODIs. Even Bumrah and Kuldeep, who match him in other metrics, have figures of 30.43 and 30.33, respectively.
That is a reflection of how penetrative and well-rounded Shami has been - in modern-day ODI cricket, bowling average is probably the most important statistic, perhaps narrowly edging out economy rate. Strike rate isn't far behind either.
Shami also has four five-wicket hauls, more than any other bowler in Indian cricket history. The numbers certainly make a case for him being the country's best ever in the format. More importantly, the following might help him compete with - and potentially inch past - another contender in Bumrah.
#1 Mohammed Shami's World Cup displays have been sensational
As things currently stand in Indian cricket circles, great performances, even if throughout an entire ODI career, don't mean much if they don't come in high-profile matches. Whether that is justified or not is another discussion altogether, but luckily for Mohammed Shami, he has stepped up when it has mattered the most.
With his five-fer against Sri Lanka, Shami became India's highest wicket-taker in World Cups. To go with a couple of superb performances in the 2015 edition, the quick turned in notable displays in 2019 as India made the semi-finals in both years.
Shami has reserved his best for the 2023 edition, with 14 wickets from three matches since entering the playing XI. He already has two Player of the Match awards to his name in the competition.
Overall, in World Cups, Shami has 45 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 12.91 and an economy rate of 4.91. That's easily the best average among the top 100 wicket-takers in cricket's most prestigious event - no one else in the top 15 averages less than 18.
Bumrah has also had excellent World Cup campaigns in 2019 and 2023, but he's a fair way behind Shami on the list. Having performed on the biggest stages, the 33-year-old certainly has a case to be India's greatest-ever ODI bowler.