ICC World Cup 2019: Sachin Tendulkar Heaps Praise On In-form Mohammed Shami

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been in outstanding form in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019 coming in as a replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the game against Afghanistan. Despite India suffered their first defeat of the tournament, Shami was among the wickets against England and impressed with his seam position and line and length. Batting great Sachin Tendulkar heaped praise on Shami following his five-wicket haul at Edgbaston.

Tendulkar impressed with Shami

Meanwhile, this was not the case a year ago or so. Marred with injuries and problems in personal life, Mohammed Shami even thought of leaving cricket. The credit goes to bowling coach Bharat Arun and conditioning coach Shankar Basu who brought Mohammed Shami in the right track making him understand the need for cricket life. A lot fitter and lean, Shami dominated the ODI last year alongside Jasprit Bumrah and even became the first Indian fast bowler to win the man of the series war against Australia overseas. The Bengal pacer also had an outstanding IPL picking 19 wickets from 14 matches for the Kings XI Punjab leading to the World Cup.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: Match 40, India vs Bangladesh – India’s Predicted Playing XI

However, surprisingly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar started for India against South Africa. It was only his hamstring injury against Pakistan which opened the doors for Mohammed Shami. He swayed popular sentiment in his favour with his headline-grabbing 50th over hat-trick against Afghanistan and his five-wicket haul against England. But it was his spell with the new ball against West Indies which grabbed the eyeballs of cricket pundits which have compelled greats like Sachin Tendulkar to praise him.

Tendulkar earlier had said that he would prefer Bhuvneshwar Kumar over Shami as the second seamer. But with Mohammed Shami’s outstanding presentation of the seam and the fifer has impressed Sachin Tendulkar. The former cricketer also said that Shami will be more lethal in the upcoming matches. Currently, Shami is the highest wicket-taker for India with 13 scalps from three games.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: BCCI Request ICC To Replace Vijay Shankar With Mayank Agarwal

“.@MdShami11 it’s been a joy to watch you bowl in the last 3 games. Loved your first spell and especially the consistent upright seam position. You are surely due for luck in the coming games. #INDvENG #CWC19,” Tendulkar tweeted.

.@MdShami11 it’s been a joy to watch you bowl in the last 3 games. Loved your first spell and especially the consistent upright seam position. You are surely due for luck in the coming games. #INDvENG #CWC19

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 1, 2019