Sri Lanka vs India 2017: Mohammed Shami says the Indian team is like a family
What's the story?
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami believes that the biggest positive of the current Indian team is that it is like a family, where the players understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, the 27-year-old said that he would make full use of the time away from the game by spending it with his own family.
Talking about his team whitewashing Sri Lanka 3-0 in their own backyard, he said, "It's very good to win such a rare series. We will look to continue the momentum and perform well. It's a team effort and we work in a unit. We are like a family and enjoy each other's success."
Shami was India's stand out fast-bowler in all the three Test matches. He picked up a total of ten wickets in the series and kept the batsmen under constant pressure with his intense and accurate bowling.
"I've already said the support staff and the team unit is one of the best," replied the speedster, when asked about Ravi Shastri and his still-nascent coaching stint with the Indian team.
In case you didn't know...
Shami was injured midway through India's Test series against England last year, and was ruled out of the fifth match of the series, which was hosted by Chennai.
He was ruled out of the subsequent series against Australia, courtesy a hamstring injury. He made his comeback to the Test fold in the Sri Lanka series, and made an impact almost immediately.
Details
Shami, along with Umesh Yadav, has been rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and youngster Shardul Thakur will be the face of Indian pace attack from the same.
The right-arm bowler said that he will use the extra time to get more rest and relax with his family. He added that he will start practicing soon and will focus on working on his strength: reverse swing.
Here is the Indian ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vice captain), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wicket keeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur.
What's next?
After the Sri Lanka tour, India will host Australia and New Zealand over the next couple of months for two limited-overs series. If the national selectors decide to adhere to their squad rotation policy, Shami will definitely get a chance in at least one of the two.
The next Test India play will be against Sri Lanka again, but this time, they will host Chandimal's men for a full-fledged tour.
Author's take
The camaderie and understanding within the Indian squad is apparent in the consistent performances that they have delivered in the last couple years. There has been absolute faith in the captain, Virat Kohli, and he has reciprocated to that by showing utmost belief in his teammates.
The team looks in a good mental space for now and let's hope that it stays the same, at least until the ICC World Cup 2019 gets underway.