India’s sensational pacer Mohammed Shami achieved a great milestone in his Test career. Mohammed Shami has been receiving praises from all corners as he became only the fifth Indian fast bowler to pick up 200 Test wickets.
Shami achieved this milestone on Day 3 of the ongoing series opener against South Africa at the Centurion, where he picked a five-wicket haul as he helped the Indian cricket team to bundle out Proteas on 197 runs in their first innings. In the process, Shami achieved this amazing milestone.
Mohammed Shami also became the third-fastest speedster to reach the landmark. Kapil Dev (50 Tests) and Javagal Srinath (54 Tests) are the only other Indian pacers to have achieved this milestone in fewer Tests than Mohammed Shami.
Shami, who hails from a humble background – Sahaspur Ali Nagar, a village in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh has emerged out to be one of the key players of the Indian cricket team. His rise in the international scene for the Indian cricket team is nothing but inspirational. After he completed his 200 wickets in Test format, Mohammed Shami dedicated his latest achievement to his father and brother.
Well, after the completion of Day 3, in his post-match press conference, Shami said: “I’ve said many times in the media that I want to credit my father,”
He added:
“I come from a village where there are no facilities even today. My father would force me to travel 30km from there, and sometimes accompany me, and that struggle has always stayed with me, and I always credit my father and brother who backed me and helped me play the game in those conditions and that situation. If I’m here today, the credit goes to them.”
He has played a crucial role in transforming India into a team that consistently wins Test matches. When he was asked who deserves the credit for creating that group, Shami responded by saying that it is important to recognize the work put in by the bowlers themselves. He said:
“If India’s pace bowling is so strong, it’s come on the backs of our own skills, we’ve all come here having built our strengths,” he said. “You can say that it’s the result of the hard work we’ve put in over the last 6-7 years.”
“Yes, we’ve had support staff who’ve always been with us, to support our skills, but you can’t name one person. It’s the result of the work we’ve put in over the last 6-7 years, so I give credit to that hard work, and the credit should always go to the person who’s put in that hard work.”
