India vs New Zealand 2019: Mohammed Shami is the One Man Who has Stood Out in the Last Five Months - Ravi Shastri

The emergence of Mohammed Shami as an ODI bowler in the last few months will be a massive boost of Indian  National Cricket team going into the ICC World Cup. Shami has rapidly come up the ranks as the third seamer after he got an opportunity in the ODI series against Australia. Head coach Ravi Shastri shared high praise on Mohammed Shami saying that he is the one man who has stood out in the last five months or so.

Meanwhile, the management were in search of a third, and they tried various options before turning onto Mohammed Shami. It is when the experienced Mohammed Shami stood up overcoming his past horrors of injuries once and for all – after a long 18 months in rehab. The pacer from Bengal had to miss the one-off Test against Afghanistan following his failure to clear the yo-yo Tests. Since then, he has put in the extra yards to come back stronger than ever in the national set-up.

Mohammed Shami was a crucial member in the historic Test series win against Australia. He bagged 16 wickets to share a formidable partnership with Jasprit Bumrah to lead India’s pace battery. In the following ODI series, he picked five wickets from three as the men in blues won their first-ever bilateral ODI series in the Down Under. In addition to, he continued his brilliant form to bag nine wickets from four games at an average of 15.33, to win the man of the series award. Moreover, Indian National Cricket team also won their first series in the land of Kiwis since 2009.

Shami stood out

Ravi Shastri spoke highly of Mohammed Shami saying he is one player who has stood out in the last few series. With his impressive efforts, the right-arm has also cemented his place in the ICC World Cup.

“I thought we batted well in the top-order in the first three games. But one man, if I have to single out, over the last five months [that stood out] is the man who won the Man of the Series today [Mohammed Shami],” Shastri said to Star Sports.

In addition to, Shastri also added since the yo-yo incident happened, Shami has worked tirelessly to prove his talent in the international circuit. The former India cricketer also hailed Mohammed Shami’s ability to bowl at a good pace consistently.

“It hurt him when he got the kick up the backside and was dropped from the side after failing the yo-yo test. He went back, did the hard yards, and across all formats, he has been simply outstanding. And right through the series, he has given us those early breakthroughs.

“Very impressive [Shami’s pace]. He was right up there when it came to pace and the spinners supported him well. You can’t take away the contribution of Kuldeep and Chahal in al these one-day games,” Ravi Shastri concluded.