‘Only One Thing In Mind’ - Mohammed Shami After Taking IND To World Cup 2023 Final
Mohammed Shami celebrating a NZ wicket with teammates at the 2023 World Cup (AP)
Mohammed Shami waltzed Team India into the 2023 World Cup final after sinking New Zealand with his career-best ODI figures in the semis. The speedster claimed seven wickets against the ‘Black Caps’ to finish his spell with 7-57 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Shami’s spell tendered Daryl Mitchell’s fighting ton fruitless, as the speed veteran walked away with the ‘Player of the Match’ award, pipping out his centurion teammates Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.
After the match, the legendary fast bowler signified the importance of the win, and divulged details about his bowling mindset in the game.
Mohammed Shami signifies importance of semifinal win
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Mohammed Shami acknowledged his late inclusion to the team’s World Cup 2023 playing XI, considering the cricketer was initially benched out of the side from their first four fixtures of the tournament.
Shami claimed that he tried to deceive the New Zealand batting line-up with bouncers and slower balls, in a bid to get them to mistime one against the run-of-play. He said:
“I was waiting for a long time for the opportunity. I was also not playing white-ball cricket much. I started against New Zealand. There is only one thing in mind. You try to bowl bouncers or slower balls but you have to bowl the right length. I prefer to bowl with the new ball in the right areas. I tried pace-off because they were playing shots and there were chances that they would mistime one.”
Mohammed Shami also lamented the catch he dropped off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling to reprieve New Zealand captain Kane Williamson during a crucial stage of the contest.
“I dropped that catch and I felt bad for it. The catch shouldn't have been dropped.”
The speed veteran, highlighting the significance of the match, said that the team was determined for a win considering their past heartbreaks in the semi-finals (2015 and 2019 World Cups).
“When you play for the country and it's the World Cup semi-final. We missed out in the semi-finals in the previous World Cups and who knows when the next chance of playing a World Cup would come. So we knew we had a chance and happy to get the win.”
Mohammed Shami’s figures of 7-57 are now the best bowling figures ever recorded in a World Cup game among all Indian bowlers. Moreover, the speedster also soared past Adam Zampa and Dilshan Madushanka to become the leading wicket-taker of the ongoing 2023 World Cup through his latest match-winning spell.
.jpg "Head Speaks")
 "Aakash Saini")
