This was 2010. Wasim Akram was the bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Speaking to the media, he used to mention the bowlers he had been impressed with. Along with the usual suspects, he would take the name of someone who was yet to make his first-class debut back then.
“Shami acchha hai, dum hai usme [Shami is good, there’s spirit in him],” Akram would say. Scribes at times used to get confused why a legend like him was talking so glowingly about someone who was not even a rookie at the IPL level at that time. Forget KKR, Mohammed Shami was still to play for the Bengal senior team.
But people in the Kolkata maidan knew where Akram was coming from. “I will tell you something. Shami is a far better bowler than (Ashok) Dinda,” Prabir Mukherjee, the late pitch curator of Eden Gardens, used to say. Those days, this was a big statement because Shami was yet to play for Bengal, while Dinda had already represented India.
Shami’s career can be divided into two halves. After making his Test debut in 2013, he soon established himself as one of the country’s leading fast bowlers. It was evident when he clean bowled Hashim Amla with a scorcher of a delivery during India’s tour of South Africa in late 2013 that here was something special. He became a regular part of the team and went to the 2015 World Cup as a pace spearhead.
But, there were frequent fitness issues with him. He would often sit out because of this reason. Back, side, hamstring, stress fracture — he had everything. That soon put a big question mark over his chances of playing for India on a regular basis. I had spoken to physical trainers who reckoned that not paying attention to fitness aspects in his formative years made him prone to injuries.
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Then came a nasty chapter, which is well known. Shami’s now-estranged wife levelled serious charges against him and his family members. Cases were registered and he even had an arrest warrant issued against him, which was eventually stayed by the Calcutta High Court. The matter drags on and Hasin Jahan moved the Supreme Court, demanding his arrest on Wednesday, a day after Shami returned figures of 4-0-11-4 in the IPL.
And that is the story of the second half Shami’s career. He became serious about fitness, worked hard, trained like mad, and addressed dietary issues to return as a sharper and fitter bowler. Skills, he had. What he did not was physical stability. To be able to identify and solve that problem took some doing. What we see now or, rather, have been seeing in the last four years or so, is a transformed Shami. He does not break down that often, plays all formats and is an indispensable man.
Credit for this should also go the Indian team management and support staff of that time. Ravi Shastri, the head coach, B Arun, the bowling coach, and others played a part in reviving Shami’s career. They made him understand what he had to do, why and how. The emergence of Shami Part 2 is the result of collective hard work, and a reason why he is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL this season.
As the World Test Championship comes closer, the importance of having Shami in the side is increasing. With Jasprit Bumrah absent due to injury, Shami and Mohammad Siraj are India’s best bets with the new ball. Shami is the key man because he is more experienced, and can make the ball swing with that impeccable seam presentation.
Well done, Shami. It happens that a player bursts on to the international scene and tastes immediate success. To have encountered lows on different fronts after that, and come back as a better player does not happen that often. At a critical stage of his career, he has done that. Little wonder then that a fast bowler in his thirties is India’s principal weapon for the biggest of Test matches coming up.