India’s go-to bowler in both ODIs and Tests has been Mohammed Shami, who led the bowling statistics after finishing with 24 wickets from seven matches during the ODI World Cup.
Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey exclaimed, “No coach in the world can create such a fast bowling “artist” as Mohammed Shami.” Shami has the unique ability to land the ball in an upright seam position every single time. In both ODIs and Tests, Shami has been India’s go-to bowler. He led the bowling charts at the ODI World Cup, finishing with 24 wickets from seven matches. Not wanting to claim any of the credit for Shami’s success, Mhambrey is one of the most subdued backroom workers in the current Indian setup.
Will there be another Mohammed Shami-like talent in India? “Well, I would be dishonest if I told you that coaches could produce a bowler with the caliber of Shami. Before departing for the South African tour, Mhambrey gave PTI an exclusive interview. “Every other bowler in the world will be Shami if a bowler can land it on an upright seam every time.”
It’s a talent that Mohammed Shami has worked really hard to develop into the bowler he is today.
It takes a unique skill set to bowl ball after ball on the seam with the ideal wrist posture and to get it to travel in both directions. Many bowlers may see the ball straighten up after pitching, even if they place deliveries on the seam, according to Mhambrey.
In the same spirit, the former Indian pacer also mentioned Jasprit Bumrah, another outstanding operator.
Even Bumrah manages to move the ball in or out with the same odd action. This is an art form, and mastery requires a great deal of effort and commitment.
If you ask me now if I would have predicted this sort of dominance, I wouldn’t have dreamed of this level of performance. I believe that in test matches, Bumrah, Shami, and Ishant (Sharma) generated this kind of magic.
I mean to bowl Sri Lanka out for fifty, then do the same thing against a team like South Africa, score three hundred and eighty runs, then bowl them out. That seemed unreal. Naturally, we anticipated them to perform well after an attack like ours. But it was truly impressive that they were able to maintain such a high level of performance for such a long time on the largest platform.
The aim is to achieve ideal bench-strength
Mhambrey was requested to evaluate the performance of Indian bowlers in the two-year cycle that culminated in the World Cup after joining the team alongside head coach Rahul Dravid.
He discussed the key learnings, which included making it to the World Tour final. Defeating a formidable Australian side and being the first Indian team to win an ODI series in England.
Nevertheless, Dravid and his group never lost sight of the main objective. Which is to build bench strength.
When we took over, we needed to see that two years down the line, we had also created sufficient bench strength in every format. We had to identify at least 3–5 bowlers from the next batch and also ensure that they got enough game time and were ready for the challenges of international cricket. Rahul, Vicky (Rathour), myself, and (T) Dilip got together and identified the bowlers.
Are the upcoming fast bowlers less inclined to play Test cricket?
Mhambrey concurs that there will always be some people who would rather play white-ball cricket than the traditional format. He rejects the idea that the younger generation lacks the will to put in the hard work necessary to develop into a competent Test match bowler.
I’d never claim that people are against playing red-ball cricket. Even now, if you ask any aspiring spinner or fast bowler what format they would most like to succeed in, they will always tell you Test cricket.
Yes, it seems logical that certain bowlers would prefer the white-ball format. After participating in every format, they most likely concluded that their style of play and skill set were better suited for the white ball format. That will be a very personal call, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
It’s important to know what to watch for in bilateral T20Is
Since India’s 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final loss, captain Rohit Sharma and captain Virat Kohli have not played any bilateral T20I cricket. They have both taken a vacation from white-ball cricket for this series; therefore, they aren’t playing in the T20Is in South Africa.
Mhambrey clarified, “It in no way implies that bilateral T20Is aren’t important.” They play these series with definite goals in mind.
All I’m trying to convey is that each player needs to keep things in balance. It also depends on the subject of our conversation. When playing in the IPL or for India, players such as Rohit and Virat focus on very specific parts of the field.
Watching younger players in bilaterals would be beneficial in examining and understanding many aspects of their adaptation, such as game awareness, pressure conditions, and how they adjust to the variety of situations that the Indian jersey carries,” the speaker said.
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