"I wondered who would play cricket in this heat?" - Mohammed Shami shares unheard childhood story
Team India pacer Mohammed Shami recently revealed that he wasn't very keen to play cricket in heat during his younger days. Shami mentioned that he would accompany his brother for matches but would prefer to sit under a tree.
Shami stated that he would only step onto the field to play during the sunset. Recalling his childhood, the seasoned pacer said during an interview with Puma:
"I come from a family with a political background. My father introduced the cricket culture to our village in the 1990s. Nobody knew about the sport before that. My brother also played a lot of cricket. So, I just used to watch them. I wondered who would play cricket in this heat? I would sit under a tree and watch the game. When the sun was about to set, I would enter the ground."
Mohammed Shami hails from Sahaspur in Uttar Pradesh. However, his journey in domestic cricket started in West Bengal. He revealed that he decided to shift base to Kolkata after being intentionally ignored by selectors in Uttar Pradesh.
"1600 guys turned up for the Ranji Trophy trials, and they selectors had to assess them in just three days," he continued. "I was ignored for a couple of years. Once my brother went to have a world with the chief selector.
"The selector told my brother that I would never get selected till he was there. My brother tore the form and it was my last day in Uttar Pradesh. After that, I moved to Kolkata."
Shami dazzled viewers with his stunning performances at the 2023 World Cup. He finished as the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven innings, including three five-wicket hauls.
"No one knew what I was going through" - Mohammed Shami on playing 2015 World Cup with injured knee
Mohammed Shami stated that he played in the 2015 World Cup in Australia with a troubled knee. The senior pacer suggested that he had to take injections before matches due to his injury.
Shami also recalled how his leg went completely numb after bowling five overs in the semi-final.
"I had swelling in my knee before the 2015 WC - I had two options - either directly go for surgery or play the tournament & then go to surgery - while the team would return to the hotel after every match - I would go to the hospital to take injection when you play for the country, you forget everything. No one knew what I was going through. When I bowled five overs in the semi-final, I couldn't feel my leg. My leg was completely numb," Shami continued.
Notably, India suffered a 95-run loss in the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup to eventual champions Australia. Mohammed Shami remained wicketless in the knockout fixture.