Mohammed Shami's deadly yorkers turned the complexion of the game as India stormed back to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat against Australia in the warm-up match on October 17 (Monday). Needing 11 runs off the last over, Shami nailed one yorker after another and bagged three wickets in the over to bundle out the Baggy Greens for 180 runs. Australia lost four consecutive wickets in the last four balls of the match, with one wicket coming in the form of a run-out. Mohammad Shami put the concerns over his fitness to rest with a sensational 20th over.
The right-arm pacer only bowled one over in the entire match and captain Rohit Sharma revealed the reason behind the decision.
"There is room for improvement, but I want more consistency from the bowlers. You need to keep things simple and hit the deck hard. Overall a good game for us, they had a decent partnership and that put us under pressure," said Rohit Sharma told host broadcasters after the game.
"He (Mohammed Shami) is coming back after a long time, so we wanted to give him an over. Wanted to give him a challenge and let him bowl the final over, and you saw what he did," he added.
The veteran speedster had last played in T20 Internationals during the last edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE.
He was supposed to play in the six T20Is at home against Australia and South Africa but tested positive for CIVID-19 and had to remain in isolation. On return, he had to prove his fitness before NCA approved his trip to Australia.
When it comes to T20Is, Shami hasn't played a lot of matches for the country in the shortest format of the game. In his career so far, the right-arm pacer has played just 17 T20Is and has taken 18 wickets.
