IPL 2020 EXCLUSIVE: ‘Staying Away From Cricket For Injury Was Way Tougher Than Lockdown,’ Says Shami

In a recent chat with ABP Live, 29 year old Shami shared his view on resumption of cricket in Corona circumstances, whether reverse swing is going to get affected as application of saliva is banned, his own preparation, chemistry with coach Anil Kumble among other subjects.

'King of reverse swing' Mohammed Shami

Kolkata: The 13th edition of Indian Premiere League (IPL) is to start in less than three weeks time. All the 8 teams have reached UAE. Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) is based in Dubai and after the completion of their quarantine period, has started practicing. The side has never ever become champions in IPL and this time, K L Rahul led team is desperate to lift the trophy. And to fulfil their dream, the KXIP camp is heavily depending on their speed star Mohammed Shami. The Indian team pacer gave an exclusive interview to ABP LIVE, his first in recent months.  In the recent chat, 29 year old Shami shared his view on resumption of cricket in Corona circumstances, whether reverse swing is going to get affected as application of saliva is banned, his own preparation, chemistry with coach Anil Kumble among other subjects. Here are the excerpts: Question: Perhaps you didn’t think that IPL is going to get organized in these circumstances. But finally the wait is almost over. How exciting is this to get back to cricket? Mohammed Shami: All of us are pretty excited. Really I didn’t imagine that we are going to see IPL this year. The entire scenario is changed this year due to the pandemic. The normalcy of life is lost. Sports have also been largely affected by Corona. We have to follow plenty of regulations. But still it’s great to be back on the field. We are really very happy. Also Read | IPL 2020: Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore Unveil New-look Jersey With Redesigned Logo Question:  You played your last competitive match in the first week of March, test match against New Zealand in Christchurch. You are returning to competitive cricket after more than 6 months. How challenging is it? Shami: Yes it is not easy to play competitive cricket after a gap of more than 6 months. But my case is a bit different. I was stuck at my native village in Uttar Pradesh during lockdown. There at my farmhouse I have my own set up for practice. I have a few nets, practice wickets, gym etc. I continued my practice there. I did regular fitness training. So I’m in touch. Yes I didn’t get match practice. And it’s fact that everyone doesn’t have facility to practice of his own. So some problems will be there when we take the field after such a long gap. Question: You had a knee injury during the 2015 World Cup and you had to go through an operation, which compelled you to stay away from the ground for a long time. This time also you have to stay away from cricket. Which one is more difficult? Shami: Of course staying away from cricket due to injury was much more difficult. Corona has changed our routine life. But I was not barred to practice at the nets. I have my own infrastructure where I continued training without break. But when I had to stay away from the field after knee surgery, I couldn’t do the most favourite work of mine, i.e. to play cricket. That was by far a tougher phase. Question: When you had to stay away from cricket due to injury, players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and others played as your substitute. Didn’t you ever be worried of losing your place in the national team? Was there any concern that you may face difficulty if someone playing as your substitution gets success? Shami: See, if someone is out of the ground for injury, somebody has to play in his place. There’s nothing to do in it. Isn’t it so? But I always firmly believe that if you have to stay in the middle of things, you have to perform. I always have faith in my own ability and skill. If I can pitch the ball in right areas and pick wickets, I don’t have to bother to make a place in the team. Performance is the key. I never felt that I would lose my spot in the team. Question: In 2014, the first phase of the IPL was being played in UAE. You used to play for Delhi Daredevils and didn’t perform that well. You took only 3 wickets in 5 matches played in UAE, after giving 180 runs. What kind of difficulties a bowler faces there? Shami: You face challenges wherever you bowl, be it UAE or India. But yes, the intense heat in UAE played a role. It’s very difficult, especially for fast bowlers to bowl at same pace all the time. The pitches in UAE don’t provide any assistance for pacers. That’s why it’s important to hit the right areas of the deck. Question: T-20 cricket is always considered to be batsman’s game. And moreover you have to bowl in such wickets in UAE where there will be not much help for the pacers. What will be your mantra this time? Shami: I have to concentrate to bowl in right areas. Even a single loose delivery can spoil an otherwise tight over. Suppose you bowl 5 excellent deliveries where you give only singles and you bowl a loose one in the 6th, and get hit for a boundary or over boundary, you may end the over by spending 10 runs. So you must bowl in the right spot consistently. Question: You are considered to be one of the masters of reverse swing. Now in Corona situation, application of saliva to polish a ball is banned. How is it going to affect the art of reverse swing? Shami: As of now, I am using sweat to polish ball. But to be honest, I don’t know what reflection it will have on swing or reverse swing. I can only have a fair idea once I play some matches. Let’s see how things go in the middle. Question: In Uttar Pradesh, you did practice along with Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Sarfaraz Khan. How were those sessions? Shami: Really those were very good sessions. Raina bhai is a world class batsman and to get to bowl at him at the nets is always going to help your preparation. And at that time, opportunity to bowl was very important for me. Hope I will get positive result of those sessions in IPL. Question: You have 336 wickets in three formats in international cricket. You are the fastest among Indian bowlers to claim 100 ODI wickets (in 56 matches). How is your experience of playing international cricket so far? Shami: To be very honest, I never thought of records. Whenever I get to bowl with the new ball, I gave my 100 per cent. I always try to win it for my team. I am happy if I can contribute in the winning cause. And whenever I take the field, I always see it as a platform where I can learn a lot of new things. I have learnt a number of things after I started playing international cricket. I feel I am a better bowler now. Question: Kings XI Punjab has never become IPL champions. The best performance was in 2014 when they ended up being the runner up. How is the team this year? Shami: KXIP team this year is very good. We have a bunch of young and talented players. The average age of the team is on lower side. The team environment is fantastic. We enjoy a very good understanding. We know each others’ strength and weakness. We are being united as a team. Question: You will get to play under Anil Kumble’s coaching this year. You have previously played under him in the national team. How would you describe Kumble as coach? Shami: I have spent a lot of time with Anil Bhai previously as well. I have played under his coaching in the national team. We share a healthy chemistry. We understand each other. Anil Bhai knows my strength and weakness and chalks out plan accordingly. I can develop myself as a bowler under his supervision and suggestion. As a coach, Anil Bhai is aggressive, always wanting to win. I feel we will shine as a team under his coaching this year.