A Good Reserve Bench Is Very Important, I Don't See It As A Competition - Mohammed Shami
Published - 16 Apr 2021, 06:14 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:44 AM
Senior India pacer, Mohammed Shami is delighted to see the solid bench strength in Indian cricket, especially in the pace bowling department, despite the fact that the youngsters could soon displace him from the eleven.
It all started with injuries to Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, then Mohammed Shami himself in the first Test in Australia, which made way for Mohammed Siraj to make his Test debut. Subsequent injuries to Umesh Yadav and then Jasprit Bumrah found India fielding a young and inexperienced pace bowling attack comprising of Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, and T Natarajan in the fourth Test at the Gabba.
As long as there is the skill and my body will accompany me, I will play: Mohammed Shami
While Mohammed Shami, who has recovered from his wrist injury and made a return through the IPL 2021, is likely to feature in the WTC final against New Zealand and at the moment is one of the first names on the team sheets, at least in overseas matches. He would still, though, will have to be on his toes and push himself; Bhuvneshwar Kumar, too, has regained his fitness and has expressed his desire to play Tests in England.
However, Mohammed Shami says that he doesn’t see the current scenario as a competition. He is happy that there the future of Indian cricket is secure in the hands of the youngsters. The 30-year-old reckons he will continue playing as long his body is fit.
“I don’t see it as a competition. Newcomers are our bench strength. Whether batting or bowling, newcomers are the future. No one can play all his life. As long as there is skill and my body will accompany, I will play. I can’t keep dragging on my career for the sake of it,” Mohammed Shami said in an interaction with ABP Ananda.
“And a good reserve bench is therefore very important. It’s great that the new boys are playing well. Their confidence will also increase. They will keep getting better with tough experiences. There is no competition. It is excellent news for the Indian team that so many talented boys are coming up,” he added.
The seamer is currently playing for the Punjab Kings and was brilliant on his return – in a high-scoring encounter against Rajasthan Royals, Mohammed Shami returned with figures of 2/33. Punjab takes on the Chennai Super Kings on Friday in Mumbai.
