New Delhi: Throw him the new cherry, he will swing it; ask him to handle the old ball, he will reverse it; tell him to surprise a batsman, he will bounce him – all that at a nippy pace of 140km/h, that’s Mohammed Shami - the go-to man for India. 



In a span of a little over three years, Shami has not only become an integral part of the Indian bowling set-up but he has become indispensable.



When Ashwin and Jadeja were dishing out wickets at will, it was Shami, who provided the much needed support to them during the India Vs England Test series. Until, the third test, where the 26-yearl-old fast bowler picked up a knee injury and was ruled out for the rest of the series. The injury is such that it will keep Shami out of action for about a month, thereby ruling him out of the ODI series against England in mid-January. 



However, Shami does not want rush it. The speedster says he has developed a connection with his body, which helps him to understand himself better. 



“I've reached a stage when even if there's the slightest of discomfort, it's easy to identify it. A slight swelling, the least bit of pain and you know that you need to get it checked. Playing at that level helps you immensely because the longer you play, the easier it becomes for you to connect with your body. After the Rajkot match, I could see a bit of swelling on the knee and I immediately brought it to the coach's notice and spoke to the captain,” Shami told the Times of India. 



Candidly reflecting on his early days in the Indian team, Shami stated that India limited overs skipper M S Dhoni is a father-figure to him.



“I remember the first time I walked into this team, it's a ritual that whoever makes it to the Indian team for the first time has to make a speech. When it was my turn, I was a little nervous. Because everybody in the team was someone, had accomplished something and I obviously had no idea how to deal with a completely different circle. Most cricketers have a very active social life and mine was completely different, coming from where I do. I remember walking up and saying something to the effect that "I can't speak in English, so it'll have to be in Hindi." That's how I started and the guys were like "toh isme kya baat hai". That whole feeling of being accepted so immediately was amazing. As far as MS is concerned, it's like a father-son relationship. What more can I say,” said Shami. 



Shami is currently going through a rehabilitation programme in the national cricket academy at Bangalore, hoping for speedy recovery.