"You can call it greed or happiness from inside" - Mohammad Shami on getting to bowl on a helpful track in 1st India vs England ODI
Mohammad Shami has highlighted that the Indian seamers are always longing to bowl on helpful tracks like the one they got in the first ODI against England on Tuesday, July 12.
Team India bowled out the hosts for just 110 runs after asking them to bat first after winning the toss in the first game at The Oval. While Jasprit Bumrah (6/19) was the wrecker-in-chief, Shami too played his part by registering figures of 3/31 in his seven overs.
During a post-match interview with Sony Sports, Mohammad Shami was asked how many deliveries it took for him to become greedy that this is going to be a fast bowler's day. He responded:
"You can call it greed or happiness from inside. You get such wickets very rarely because since the time this unit of ours has been formed and our pace attack has become good, we have been longing to get such wickets or that we should start playing on such wickets."
The Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer added that the Indian bowlers get very few opportunities to get the ball to talk on such surfaces. Shami observed:
"We don't get this ever, we get such chances at times luckily, that we won the toss and the way the ball was going from the pitch, it is a different feeling that the ball is going to do something now."
An absolute beauty by Mohammad Shami. https://t.co/lwfHb5O95P
While Bumrah accounted for four dismissals in his first spell, Shami got rid of Ben Stokes for a golden duck from the other end. The Bengal pacer also dismissed Jos Buttler and Craig Overton in his second spell to all but end England's resistance.
"You just need to be skillful and have the smartness" - Mohammad Shami on carrying his Test form to ODIs
Mohammad Shami was also asked about venting all his anger from the Test match in the first ODI. He replied:
"My attempt is always that whatever responsibility is given to me I fulfill that. A bowler who can do well in Tests, can do so in ODIs as well. There is not much difference, just the difference of the ball, you just need to be skillful and have the smartness. I don't think it is that difficult, you don't have to make too many changes."
Fastest Indian to take 150 wickets in ODI format:
Shami from 80 games.
Agarkar from 97 games.
Zaheer from 103 games.
The 31-year-old was further asked about not being in India's T20I scheme of things. Shami observed:
"Doesn't matter, I don't mind anything. The only thing is that as many days I play, till the time I am in the team and given the responsibility, I will give a hundred percent from my side. It doesn't matter who decides what or what not."
Mohammad Shami has not played a T20I game for Team India since the T20 World Cup last year. Although he gave decent performances with the ball in Gujarat Titans' title-winning run in IPL 2022, the right-arm pacer doesn't seem to be in the selectors' thoughts for the upcoming T20 World Cup later this year.