In their undefeated World Cup campaign so far, it is India’s bowling that has hit the headlines for all the right reasons. The top five on the highest wicket-takers list might not feature an Indian bowler but such has been the consistency of the entire bowling unit that every bowler in that squad has been amongst wickets and executed the plans laid by the team management.
Mohammad Shami has taken most wickets among the Indian bowlers and he credits MS Dhoni for his success. “I have played all the formats of the game under his captaincy and made my respective debuts under his captaincy,” Shami said. “I like the way he handles the team and handles me as a bowler. I am always free and I have never been tensed when he has captained the side. He is someone who has always told me about my mistakes and asked me not to repeat them in the future.”
Elaborating further on Dhoni, Shami said that his captain has always been the one who would put an arm around his shoulder and get help him work on the things that have gone wrong. “He never gets angry. He will tell you things very calmly and handle the situation well which helps a bowler. The support of the captain and backing of your captain despite making mistakes is very important and he does that.
“It has been a plus point for me that I have played and made my debut under him. When I was playing domestic cricket, I used to think about what I would talk to the seniors when I reach the international level. When I came to the international level, I felt a lot more comfortable than the domestic level. This is the confidence that has helped me thus far and I will try to take it forward.”
When asked how he dealt with good and bad days, Shami said, “I would like to believe that till now I haven’t had that bad a patch that I could think about. Whenever I go through a rough patch or a bad day, I go back to my room and think about my mistakes. Or I talk to my captain and teammates and ask for suggestions from them on how to get better. I try to rectify the mistakes in my practice sessions and I become alright.”
Trying to correct his mistakes is something Shami stressed upon for which his seniors and ex-cricketers have always come in handy. “I want to try and learn from the senior players and bowlers on how they have bowled in different conditions and how it has worked for them. I try to understand what are the things I am doing wrong and what they have noticed about me that I can work on. As players, the knowledge is definitely passed on.”
India face Zimbabwe next and Shami reiterated that winning the game will be of prime importance. “Irrespective of the opposition, we always look to win games. Cricket is a game of uncertainties and we always look to play the way we have been playing till now and it will be no different against Zimbabwe.”
Zimbabwe is just one of the stops to the ultimate goal. Shami and co. have their eyes on the grand price and that in itself is a big motivation towards its success. “Winning the World cup in itself is a huge motivation for us. All eyes are on the World Cup and everyone has a lot of expectations from us. The focus is to win the Cup come what may. The 2011 World Cup did have more craze since it was Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup and everyone in the team worked towards achieving that goal. We too are playing this World Cup in the same way. Who knows who would be missing from the next World Cup. We are playing the World Cup with the same kind of intensity.”
By: BCCI
