Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar revealed an interesting anecdote involving senior pacer Mohammed Shami and former India head coach Ravi Shastri from the 2018 tour to South Africa.
It was from that tour that the Indian fast bowling pack became arguably the best in the world. India may have lost the series then by 2-1, but the victory in the third Test, in Johannesburg, filled them with the belief that they can win anywhere in the world.
Mohammed Shami bagged a five-wicket haul in the second innings of the 2018 Wanderers Test. He and Jasprit Bumrah have been the premier pacers for India since and have been in most of the away victories since 2018.
Photo by Deepak Malik / Sportzpics for BCCI
However, Shami wasn’t having a great tour until the third Test then. Sunil Gavaskar recalls that it was coach Ravi Shastri who charged the speedster up by questioning Shami’s place in the side if he didn’t deliver the goods on a helpful pace-friendly pitch in Johannesburg.
“At the Wanderers, the last time around in 2018, was when they actually got stuck into him apparently because till then he hadn’t really delivered. They said to him that on this pitch if you’re not going to take wickets then… So the word is and I am not too sure that Ravi gave him a rocket,” Sunil Gavaskar was heard saying on air during the Cape Town Test, as quoted by CricTracker.
Shami then went on to pick 5 wickets for just 28 runs. South Africa were bowled out for 177 in the second innings and India won the Test by 63 runs.
“And then he came out and destroyed South Africa. Sometimes you know, you need to put an arm around a player, sometimes you’ve got to just get stuck into him,” Gavaskar added.
Then and now, Shami is a much improved, more consistent, and fitter bowler. He picked a five-for in the recent Centurion Test, helping India win by 113 runs and take a lead in the series.
