“That's not something we expected” - Paras Mhambrey on Mohammed Shami’s incredible performance in the 2023 World Cup
Team India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has admitted that senior pacer Mohammed Shami exceeded expectations with his exceptional performance in the 2023 World Cup. He went on to praise the fast bowler as someone who always has a positive impact on the game.
Shami was the leading wicket-taker in the 2023 World Cup with 24 scalps in seven matches at an average of 10.71. He was not part of the Indian playing XI for the first four matches before an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya forced the Indian management to alter their team combination.
Praising Shami, Mhambrey, whose contract with the Indian team ended following the World Cup, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI:
"He (Shami) was incredible. He obviously hadn't played the initial games, but the way he came back and bowled throughout the tournament was incredible. That's not something we expected, but we always knew that he always has that positive impact on the game. He has been phenomenal."
Shami claimed 5/54 and 5/18 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, respectively, in the league stage. He then stunned the Kiwis with 7/57 in the semi-final - the best figures by an Indian bowler in ODIs.
“We will have to be very smart” - Paras Mhambrey on managing the workload of Indian pacers
Mhambrey also admitted that the Indian think tank will have to be very shrewd in the way they manage the workload of the fast bowlers considering the busy upcoming schedule.
India are set to play seven Tests as part of the World Test Championship (WTC). After a two-match series against South Africa in December-January, they will host England for five Tests in January and March.
"We will have to be very smart with the way we go forward in terms of managing the workload. These guys have played a lot of cricket, so we need to see how we want to go about it. We haven't discussed it yet,” Mhambrey said.
The 51-year-old praised lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah for making a brilliant comeback from a potentially career-threatening back injury, which kept him out of the game for many months.
"We missed Bumrah for a major part, and you see the difference he brings when he is in the side. The way he has gone in this tournament especially, it's massive. It has been challenging, but looking at the other side of it, it has also been an opportunity for us to work on the bench-strength," the Indian bowling coach commented.
Bumrah was one of the stars of India’s 2023 World Cup campaign, claiming 20 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 18.65.