A Titan From the Gujarat Titans That’s Making Heads Turn
Shami bagged POTM in a losing affair vs
Some might attribute his success to his consistency with pace. Others might tie it to being part of a franchise that allows him to lead by example having made his position clear as the main, leading frontline seamer.
Though in truth, Mohammed Shami’s success in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League is not only restricted to the above all of which is true; it’s a testimony to his consistency.
It could be determined by that desire to dominate with the white ball knowing well that the IPL is perhaps a batting-friendly contest.
Trusting his own strength, which is to get the white ball to talk more than anything else, whether the conditions or the strength of the opponent’s batting, Mohammed Shami’s go-to mantra is a combination of speed and the ability to generate seam movement.
Much of the above came into full effect in the first innings a few hours back and that too, in his Gujarat Titans’ home turf: the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
It’s a shame that, in the end, a magnificent spell that churned not one or two but four sensational wickets couldn’t succeed in pulling the Titans all the way through.
But in reality, would you even blame Mohammed Shami, who as the game unravelled, succeeded in eliminating nearly half of the Delhi Capitals’ unit?
So brilliant was Shami’s control last evening on a turf that did make things hard for the batters that, for argument's sake, you were compelled to think that had he had the luxury of bowling one more over, he might have finished with the first-ever fifer of the ongoing Tata IPL 2023.
Yet, implicit in his brilliant spell of 4 for 11, was the fact that the Mohammed Shami that turned up yesterday was right on the money from the word go, in much similar fashion to how he’s contested thus far.
We know the kind of damage that someone like a Salt can do with the bat. But here was Shami, who took no more than a single delivery to send back one of the hardest hitters in all of Delhi’s contingent.
A first-ball duck with David Miller grabbing a good sharp catch inside the circle was enough to rub Salt on Delhi’s wounds.
The best, however, was to come in a matter of sixteen more deliveries.
With the way Rossouw had begun, not holding back from any mini chance of counter-attacking, the next big challenge up Gujarat’s alley was to remove the dangerous Protea batter.
Which is when Shami provided a desperate breakthrough with Warner already back in the dugout.
A good length delivery that came in at 132 kmph and bowled around the middle and off to the left-hander enforced a stroke that could perhaps have been avoided. The end result was a fine take in the hands of the agile Wriddhiman Saha.
Shami had his second. Delhi were falling apart.
But what happened not too long after on the final delivery of the fifth overproduced a doubt about whether it was Mohammed Shami’s brilliance or the lack of foot movement on Priyam Garg’s part.
A full-ish length bowled quite outside off compelled the right-hander who’d just about got his eye in to offer a half-hearted stroke.
The in form Shami had struck, though at the back of Saha’s faultless ability from behind the stumps.
Yet, in a contest where one simply waited for the hammering of the bat to unfold, Shami’s seam movement and pace variations did the trick.
An under-appreciated titan of Indian cricket was playing like one.
More importantly, so disciplined was the resilient right-armer that he didn’t concede a single extra.
Not one.
Where it stands now, then at the back of a great show against Delhi albeit marked by the defeat in the end, Mohammed Shami is just a wicket away from matching his Titans teammate Rashid Khan.
The Afghanistan legend is firmly placed in the list of the Purple cap holders with 15 scalps to his name.
Shami is not the one who likes to play catch-up. He’ll chase his batters, he’ll continue to make noise with the ball.
But perhaps his biggest success in the season is down to the fact that the tireless Indian seamer is making his space under the sun whilst being surrounded by plenty to big match-winners.
It isn’t every day that a right-arm medium pacer dons headlines whilst being in the company of smashing batters like Hardik Pandya and David Miller.
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