I am absolutely fit: Mohammed Shami

Calcutta: India’s bowling has certainly got more teeth with the arrival of young Jasprit Bumrah, whose unorthodox action and yorkers seem to augur well for the team lately.

Calcutta: India’s bowling has certainly got more teeth with the arrival of young Jasprit Bumrah, whose unorthodox action and yorkers seem to augur well for the team lately.

Now if Mohammed Shami can be back at his best, India’s bowling will prove to be intimidating.

Returning to the India squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and World T20, the pacer himself is confident of going full throttle once action begins.

After a long injury layoff, post last year’s World Cup, Shami was back in the national squad for the tour Down Under, only to be ruled out again by a hamstring injury.

That period, out of the squad, was indeed painful for him. But it made Shami more and more determined to come back fitter and stronger.

He believes he will be able to give his best in India’s upcoming assignments in Bangladesh and at home. “I’m absolutely fit now,” Shami said after his match for Mohun Bagan versus George Telegraph, in the CAB Senior Knockout tournament, at the Bhowanipore ground on Tuesday.

“At present, there are no injury problems. I’m pretty confident I’ll be able to give my 100 per cent in the Asia Cup and World T20.”

Shami was also hopeful of India’s chances in the world meet. “India have a good chance to win the World T20,” he said.

This was Shami’s first game post his rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy. Incidentally, this was his first for Bagan in two years and he did get some success.

He might have taken just one wicket, but he hit 45 runs off just 16 balls in his team’s 192-run win. His innings included as many as six sixes, four of which were hit off successive deliveries in the last over of the Bagan innings.

“Shami looked quite sharp in this game,” said Wriddhiman Saha, the India Test wicketkeeper-batsman and Shami’s Bagan teammate.

“He bowled three-four overs and did a good job… Got a wicket too… Since this wasn’t a ground of international standards, he probably may not have exerted himself, which is fair enough.

“But I feel he will do well for India in the coming matches. As far as his fitness is concerned, I’m not sure whether he would have been able to play the longer formats. But he is absolutely ready for the T20 mode,” Wriddhiman added.

The selection of Shami for the Asia Cup and World T20 was a calculated risk. He had not proved his match fitness at the time of the announcement of the squad, on February 5.

India’s first match in the World T20 is on March 15, against New Zealand. “The advantage with Shami is that from now we have 30 days before we start the World T20,” chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil had said.

If Shami delivers, it has been witnessed on several occasions that the pressure on India’s batsmen gets reduced. With little margin of error in the shortest version, Shami knows that he needs to be spot-on with his line and length.

“During my rehab, I focused mainly on accuracy, which is of prime importance if you want to end up with good figures. So, maintaining a good line and length is of paramount importance… My focus is on accuracy now,” he stressed.

Recalling the period he was ruled out after having made a comeback, Shami said: “It was indeed painful and frustrating to watch the team play from the sidelines. It is really painful for a player.

“But when my rehab was on, I concentrated on what the physio and doctor told me to do. I just worked as per their guidance.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had rued Shami’s absence after India’s defeat to Australia in the one-dayers. For Shami, Dhoni’s ability to bring the best out of a player makes him very special.

“Well, about Dhoni, I think that is his speciality… To keep on backing a player and bring the best out of him. Such qualities go a long way to increase the confidence level of players,” he said.

“Obviously, I felt really bad when results weren’t going our way (in Australia). But now that I’m back, I’m quite hopeful of delivering,” Shami added.

For the moment, though, Shami will be playing as many matches as possible for Bagan to ensure he’s raring to go for the real battle.