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Mohammed Shami has shared a very interesting story from the early days of his India career. Mohammed Shami revealed that he was very nervous when he first entered the India National Cricket Team dressing room because many of the players sitting there were already icons he had watched while growing up.
He had already made his India debut, but entering the dressing room with so many famous players was a completely different feeling. His first team meeting became even more memorable when former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh asked him to stand on a chair and speak in front of everyone. Amid this, Devajit Saikia reveals Jay Shah's key role in building BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Mohammed Shami Could Not Speak in First Team Meeting
Mohammed Shami made his ODI debut for India against Pakistan in Delhi on January 6, 2013. Later that year, the Bengal speedster made his Test debut against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. His T20I debut also came against Pakistan in Mirpur on March 21, 2014.
But Shami's first experience inside the India National Cricket Team dressing room was something he could never forget for some crazy reasons. Amid this, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma headline Sher-e-Punjab T20 League marquee list.
Recalling the moment, the Indian fast bowler shared that he walked into the team meeting before a match and looked around the room, and almost every player there was someone he had seen playing on television and admired while growing up.
Mohammed Shami was quoted as saying by cricketnextofficial: “The first time I joined the Indian team, I did not know how things were. There was a team meeting a day before the game. When I walked in through the door and looked around, there was not one name that had not come in my dream. I just sat quietly.”
When Yuvraj Singh put Mohammed Shami on a chair!
Then Yuvraj Singh noticed him and asked him to stand on a chair. The young fast bowler was asked to introduce himself and say a few words to the team. But Shami was so nervous that his mind went blank. He could only say his name and where he was from. He could not think of anything else.
The seasoned fast bowler further recalled, “Yuvraj Singh asked me to stand on the chair. What can you tell him? So, I did that. He told me to give a speech. I had forgotten everything after seeing all the names. I could not say much. I just told my name and where I was from. I could not say more than that, as I could not remember anything.”
Mohammed Shami names Shikhar Dhawan as the funniest teammate
Shami also spoke about the fun side of the Indian dressing room. When asked about the funniest player he played with, he named the former India opener Shikhar Dhawan. The fast bowler shared that Dhawan was always keeping the dressing room atmosphere light.
Even after India lost a match and everyone was sitting quietly, Dhawan would find a way to make people laugh. Sometimes he would laugh loudly for no reason or suddenly start dancing to Punjabi songs while standing on a table. These small things helped the players forget the disappointment of a loss.
Shami has further explained, “Shikhar is very funny. He does those things. Say we lost a match; everyone comes and sits in the change room. Shikhar wants to do something different. He will just laugh very loudly. If I ask why you are laughing, he says, “Because we lost.” He does such things. Anytime, he will stand on the table and start dancing to Punjabi music."
"These things create that atmosphere in the dressing room. We also enjoy it because winning and losing keep happening. When you are playing the whole year, you will win and lose. All these things are there. But no one then goes into a very sad mood in the dressing room.”
