Mohammed Shami Reveals How Wasim Akram And Zaheer Khan Have Helped Him Become The Bowler That He Is Today

Mohammed Shami has come by leaps and bounds in the past 2-3 years. Having made his debut against Pakistan in the January of 2013, Shami has emerged as one of India’s leading bowlers alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma to form one of the most fearsome trios in Test cricket in the modern era.

With the onset of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown of the entire world, cricketers are using this time to interact with their fellow mates via Instagram Live. In a recent session, Mohammed Shami interacted with his fellow Bengal teammate Manoj Tiwary where the Indian fast bowler revealed legendary pacers of India and Pakistan Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram and how the duo have helped him in becoming the bowler that he is today.

“When it comes to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan faced off against each other, I also used to like Wasim Akram. Both Zaheer and Akram were left-arm bowlers,” Mohammed Shami revealed.

How Mohammed Shami improved by spending time with Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan

Shami was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders during the initial stages of his IPL career where Wasim Akram was serving as the bowling consultant and the right-hander revealed that he was initially hesitant in talking to his childhood hero and how the legendary fast bowler broke the ice between them and helped him get better.

“When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him. For the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him,” Mohammed Shami said.

He added “Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and he started telling me things about bowling. He read me very fast, he realised what I am all about, I learnt a lot from him. If you have someone experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn maximum things as well,”

Also Read: Cheteshwar Pujara Plays Me The Best In The Indian Team, Reveals Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami made his Test debut for India [2013] at a time when Zaheer Khan was at the fag end of his career and while the duo didn’t play together, Shami revealed that spending time with Khan during his stint with the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils was really helpful as he got a chance to pick the legendary fast bowlers brain. He also said that Zaheer was very helpful and he learnt a lot when it came to bowling with the new ball.

“Zaheer Bhai and I did not play much together, but whenever I got the chance to talk to him, he was very helpful. I spent time with him during IPL stint with Delhi Capitals, Zaheer Bhai is very experienced, I just wanted to learn how to go about bowling with the new ball,” Mohammed Shami added.

Mohammed Shami has been India’s leading wicket-taker when it comes to fast bowlers in the past four years. He was recently seen in action during the Test series in New Zealand.

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