
Mohammed Shami looked up and raised his hand to the sky, thanking God for giving him another chance to shine for India. There was a time during his one-year recovery when he doubted if he could return to international cricket. However, his five-wicket performance in India’s win over Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy opener on Thursday showed that the experienced bowler still has his wicket-taking skills.
Shami has always enjoyed playing in ICC tournaments. He had taken 24 wickets in the 2023 ODI World Cup before getting injured. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, he took 5 wickets for 53 runs to help India win, and then Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 101 runs.
After the match, Shami said, “In ICC events, I don’t mind getting hit. I just go for wickets. I do not worry about the economy rate at all.” He added, “I spent eight hours a day at the National Cricket Academy during my recovery after ankle surgery. I had the hunger. Without hunger, you cannot achieve your goal.”
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Shami led India’s bowling attack and helped dismiss Bangladesh for 228 runs. He returned to international cricket just before the Champions Trophy, playing in two T20Is and two ODIs against England at home.
He also mentioned, “It was tough coming back after 14 months. The comeback was painful, but practicing in domestic cricket helped me perform well.” He further added, “After winning, you feel very confident. My mindset will remain the same against Pakistan. There is no problem at all.”
India will face their rivals Pakistan on February 23 in Dubai.
In the match against Bangladesh, Shami reached an important milestone by becoming India’s highest wicket-taker in 50-over ICC tournaments. The 34-year-old bowler now has 60 wickets, breaking Zaheer Khan’s record. Zaheer had taken 59 wickets in 32 matches, but Shami achieved this in only 19 matches.
Shami’s record in the ODI World Cup spans three editions, and he has taken a total of 55 wickets. Out of these, 24 wickets were taken in the 2023 tournament on home soil.
With this being his sixth five-wicket haul in ODIs, Shami now holds the record for the most five-wicket hauls by an Indian bowler in ODIs.