Mohammed Shami opens up after a memorable outing in semis

During the first semifinal match between India and New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Mohammed Shami took another five-wicket haul, making him the bowler with the most five-wicket hauls in World Cup history. After taking his fifth wicket, he celebrated with a ‘ball on head’ gesture, which quickly went viral.

After the game, Shami, who was named Man of the Match, spoke to an interviewer. He revealed that he had been patiently awaiting his turn, emphasizing his limited participation in white-ball cricket. During their discussions, various topics were explored, including strategies for delivering yorkers and mastering slower balls. Expressing his focus on claiming wickets early on, Shami made a concerted effort to capitalize on opportunities with the new ball.

“I was waiting for my turn. I wasn’t playing much white ball cricket. I had in mind, we talk about a lot of things like yorkers and slower balls. I tried to take wickets with the new ball. I try to take as many as I can with the new ball.” Shami said.

Mohammed Shami reflected on a pivotal moment in the match

Shami acknowledged the disappointment of dropping a catch and explained his decision-making process. The fiery pacer revealed his gameplan and further stated that he tried to vary his pace thereby forcing the batter to go for a big shot which resulted in his dismissal and doing less damage post dropping the catch of the New Zealand captain.

“I dropped the catch of Kane, I felt bad. I tried to take pace off. They were playing their shots. So, I took a chance. The wicket was good. There was the fear of dew. The grass was cut off nicely. The runs were enough. Had dew come in, things could have been bad. The slower balls might not have worked,“ Shami continued.

Highlighting the significance of the moment and the platform, Shami expressed his joy, recognizing the rarity of such opportunities. Drawing motivation from past World Cup semi-final defeats in 2015 and 2019, he is determined to make the most of the current chance, acknowledging the uncertainty of future opportunities for the team:

“I feel amazing. This is a huge platform. We lost in the semis in the 2015 and the 2019 WC. Looking to cash in with the chance I have been given. We don’t know when all of us will get a chance like this again,” Shami concluded.