Mohammed Shami slams critics, comes out in support of Jasprit Bumrah
India pacer Mohammed Shami has come out in support of Jasprit Bumrah, slamming critics for taking a shot at his teammate. Bumrah had gone wicketless in the ODI series against New Zealand and didn't fare much better in the T20I series as well, where the death over specialist managed to pick six wickets in five games.
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The hosts overshadowed their hapless scoreline in the T20I series with a 3-0 drubbing in the 50-over format. Shami was reasonably miffed at reporters for questioning Bumrah’s credentials with the ball.
"What Bumrah has achieved for India, how can you even forget that or for that matter ignore it? So if you think positively, then it's good for the player and his confidence also." Shami said.
Bumrah recently made a comeback, having recovered from a back strain. The unorthodox pacer didn’t have the best of times and found it hard to get going. Senior pacer Shami led the attack with the cherry in the ongoing warm-up game against New Zealand. Shami bagged three wickets while Bumrah scalped two. New Zealand XI were bundled out for 235 in reply to India's 263 in the first innings.
As a sportsman, it's very different. From outside, it is very easy to nitpick as some have a job to comment and earn money. Every sportsman can get injured and one should try and look at the positives rather than harp on negatives." said the 29-year-old.
Meanwhile, Shami also extended his support towards rookie Navdeep Saini. He said the Karnal-born pacer will learn more from experience. Saini featured in two ODIs and went wicket-less in both the games. However, his cameo with the bat attracted the attention of many cricket lovers.