Team India continued their rampaging run on October 29 (Sunday) after defeating defending ODI World Cup champions England by a comprehensive margin of 100 runs at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Defending a low score of 229 runs, the Men in Blue bowlers bowled incredibly well against a misfiring English batting line-up and blew the Three Lions away.
Jasprit Bumrah started the carnage with the ball and Mohammed Shami joined the act soon. The two Indian pacers stifled the English batters and sent them packing with one terrific delivery after another. Shami, who missed the first four matches of the competition, has been on a tear since returning to the playing XI.
After picking five wickets against New Zealand in Dharamsala, the right-arm veteran pacer bowled his heart out in Lucknow and dismissed four England batters. Shami made Ben Stokes look like a greenhorn before castling his stumps with a peach of a delivery.
In two matches played in ODI World Cup 2023, Shami has bagged nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul and a four-wicket haul.
After the match, former India batter Gautam Gambhir urged captain Rohit Sharma to make on key tactical change for the upcoming matches. Gambhir suggested that Rohit should hand the new ball to Shami along with Bumrah. Furthermore, Gambhir lavished immense praise on Shami, claiming that the right-arm seamer's spell was one of the best by a one change bowler.
"This is what I have been saying from such a very long time, it's the bowlers that win you tournaments and not batters and that's exactly what our bowlers have shown today. I hope going forward we talk more about Mohammed Shami. Ever since his comeback in this lineup, it's a completely different bowling lineup now and this was probably the best spell that I have seen from a fast bowler, bowling while chasing. It was incredible. Fast bowling of the highest quality. The pace, the lengths, the seam position, everything," Gautam said on Star Sports.
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