Star Indian speedster Mohammed Shami is the best performer for the Indian cricket team in the ODI World Cups. His 55 wickets is the fifth in history and third among the Asian bowlers. He is also the only bowler to have four five-wicket hauls in the World Cups. However, despite his astonishing performance, he was never a regular member of India's XI during the three previous mega tournaments. India played 28 matches in the last three World Cups and Shami got the chance to play in only 18 of them, with India winning 15 of those ties.
Similarly to the 2023 edition, Shami was benched for the first four group games in the 2019 World Cup, where India was competing under the leadership of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri was the head coach. Shami only made his appearance in the fifth match against Afghanistan, where he picked up a hat-trick, and later took a fifer against England in his third appearance. He grabbed 14 wickets in his four appearances before being rested for the final group game against Sri Lanka and then was not considered in the semifinal against New Zealand as well. During the 2023 edition also, Shami only got a chance after Hardik Pandya picked up an injury. He took 24 wickets in seven matches, which also included two fifers. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
Shami on team management
Recently Shami opened up on how the decision of the team management left him confused and questioning why his performance was being overlooked.
"In 2019 I did not play the first 4-5 games. In the next game, I took a hat-trick, then picked up a five-wicket haul and then four wickets in the next game. A similar happened in 2023. I did not play in the first few games and then picked a fifer, then four wickets, and then a five-wicket haul again," said Shami on the YouTube show ‘Unplugged'.
"The one thing I keep wondering is every team needs players who can perform well. I took 13 wickets in three matches. What more do you expect from me? I neither have questions nor do I have answers. I can only prove myself when I get the opportunity. You gave me a chance, and I took 13 wickets in three matches. Then we lost to New Zealand. played four matches overall and picked 14 wickets. In 2023, I picked 24 wickets in seven matches," he added.
Shami returns to nets
Mohammed Shami who has been out due to an injury in the 2023 ODI World Cup has finally started bowling in nets. He is on his road to recovery and is eyeing a return to the Indian team soon.
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