There Have Been Some Outstanding Changes In My Life - Mohammed Shami

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Not long ago Mohammed Shami was not even part of India's ODI set-up and was nowhere close to the World Cup squad. But as it is said, "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming", Mohammed Shami's journey perfectly fit in this who will now be the part of India's World Cup squad and likely to lead the pace attack along with Jasprit Bumrah.

However, the path hasn't been easy for Shami whose career has been affected by injuries. Hence, he has been in and out from ODIs. But his recent form in white ball cricket has forced the selectors to get him in the 15-member squad. Since October 2018, Shami has picked up 22 wickets in 13 ODIs, the joint-most for an Indian fast bowler along with Bhuvneshwar.



"If you have seen in the last 18 months, I have continuously worked on my fitness and have been constantly trying to improve my game, on what will be better for my team. Yes, I was a bit heavy after my injury and didn't play ODIs for an extended time. But I have played ODIs recently, especially in the last six months there have been some outstanding changes in my life," Shami said on Monday (April 15) during a press conference ahead of Kings XI Punjab's match against Rajasthan Royals.

World cup in England & Wales will be Shami's second after the World cup 2015 in Australia & New Zealand as a player. In the previous edition, he was the second highest wicket-taker for India after Umesh Yadav (18) and 4th overall with 17 wickets in 7 matches. But injuries ruled him out from the ODIs after the tournament. Now, he is fully fit and running hard.

"I am happy with whatever I have achieved. I lost so much of weight, my body has that flow now and the rhythm, I feel, is similar to when I started (my career). I will try to maintain the same rhythm in the future for the World Cup. Like you've seen, there's a lot of difference (with my bowling) when compared to before, say three years back. I have done a lot of hard work, I've worked with the coaches and the confidence that I got with the Indian team, backing me when I was trying to improve my fitness levels, the management, the NCA, they all backed mine with all their heart. I was also dedicated to taking on the fitness challenge in front of me, I accepted that and the result is now in front of you," he added.



Shami believes that his confidence has only increased after the successful World Cup 2015 for him. "I'm very happy that I have got a second chance in a World Cup. As far as performance is concerned, the way I had performed in 2015, how I approached it with confidence, I am hoping that there's increased confidence in me. And whatever confidence that I have, in terms of my performance in the last seven-eight months, I want to carry that confidence and put my best foot forward for my team."

All the Indian players including Shami who get selected in World Cup squad are playing in Indian Premier League. Shami who is leading the Kings XI Punjab is the leading wicket-taker for his side. He believes that IPL is good for the World Cup preparations. "Playing these matches (in the IPL) help in terms of fitness and mental preparation. It's a challenging tournament before the World Cup and the IPL is very helpful in the preparation, mentally and physically."

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