Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has made a stunning revelation about Mohammed Shami. The latter, who is yet to make an appearance for India since the ICC Champions Trophy final earlier this year, is currently featuring for East Zone in Duleep Trophy.
Arun revealed how back in 2018, Shami was going through multiple problems not just as a cricketer, but also in his personal life. After failing a fitness test and getting dropped from the team, the 34-year-old had told Arun that he will leave the game for good.
“And in 2018, just before the tour of England, we had a match against Afghanistan (Test match in Bengaluru). Shami failed the fitness test, and he was dropped from the team. He was very dejected. He was at the peak of his personal problems as well. So he came to my room and said, ‘Paaji, mai cricket chor doonga’ (I will quit cricket)," Arun said in a podcast with The Times of India.
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Arun further revealed how it was the then head coach Ravi Shastri, who had inspiered him to overcome his fitness problems and make a comeback into the team.
“So I asked him, ‘What are you going to do after quitting cricket? Whatever you are and whatever you have achieved is because of cricket.’ He said he was angry. I took him to Ravi. Ravi said, ‘If you are angry and you have the ball in your hand, show your anger with the ball. You want to quit cricket because your body is not fit?’" Arun added.
“We sent him to the NCA, and the only instruction was to work on him physically, no bowling. Three weeks after we sent him to the NCA, he called me and said: ‘Paaji, mai toh abhi ghode ki tarah bhaag raha hoon‘ (I am running like a horse)," he further stated.
Shami's remarkable comeback
Shami would go on to feature in all the five Tests in India's tour of England in 2018 and despite the Men in Blue's 4-1 defeat, the pacer would impress by picking up 16 wickets in nine innings. He would even go on to become a key figure in India's squad in all of three formats, contributing massively for the side in the bowling department.
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However, Shami has now fallen way down the pecking order and his place isn't confirmed in India's squad for any of the three formats. He was recently snubbed from India's Asia Cup squad as well and now the only way by which he can impress the selectors is through his performance at the domestic circuit.