Mohammed Shami’s father passed away on Friday due to cardiac arrest in a hospital in Delhi. Shami, who was working hard on his fitness in National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, was forced to return back to this city after this tragic news broke.
In an interview to Sportskeeda, Mohammed Shami’s brother Mohammad Asif revealed that India’s fast bowler chose national duty over family. Shami was asked to stay with his father by his family but he told them that India is as much of a father to him and he resumed training away from his father.
“He wasn’t well in Moradabad for a long time, then we had to shift to Delhi for his treatment. Bhai (Brother) came once back in January itself before leaving for Bengaluru. Certain members of the family asked him to stay, but he replied that India is as much of a father to him and he couldn’t deny that duty either,” Shami’s brother Asif said.
“He was very emotional, but decided to go back to training, knowing that his recovery ahead of the Australia series is paramount for the national team’s plan there. Now, I know that he’s going to give his best performance till date in his next series.” he added.
“Abbu (Father) really respected his profession, and would’ve asked him to do the same. Cricket was in his blood, he was a huge fan of Wasim Akram, and I think that rubbed off on bhai during his younger years. We will all really miss the calming influence he had in all our lives especially bhai’s, when he used to get stressed.”
