Apart from this, his wickets also included the well-set Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner. Shami’s spell helped India bowl out New Zealand for 273 runs, behind the required 320. The way he bowled, Shami gave the Indian team management more room to think about the team combination.
“When you come back into the eleven after a long time, it is important to gain confidence quickly,” Shami said in the post-match presentation. “My first game at the World Cup helped me get that confidence back. It’s not too difficult (waiting on the sidelines) if your team is performing well.”
Shami was asked about the disappointment of sitting out for no fault of his. He lost out to Shardul only for team balance, the team preferred a bowling all-rounder to occupy the number 8 spot, they deviated from this due to Hardik’s injury. Due to this, India ran the risk of not having any backup bowlers, but they did not have to suffer the consequences in Dharamsala.
Asked about warming the bench, Shami said, “They are your teammates and if they are doing well you should support them.” “If it is in the interest of the team, I have no objection to it. The wickets were important because it was against an opponent who was sitting on top of the points table before this match.”
Shami was further investigated. He was asked how he kept his motivation high. Their feedback will give you a glimpse of their thought process, which requires clarity and clear communication from the team management. This team has been great in this under the leadership of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma. Very early on, Shami and the rest of the playing group were talked to about their roles in the setup.
“Personally, my approach is simple: You keep having fun,” he said. “It’s the biggest game, the biggest venue in cricket. You have 15 players. Four of them have to be out. So, staying positive and enjoying the moment, you will get results. I always think to myself, I may not be here today, but I’ll be here tomorrow. If not tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. We’ll definitely be in the rotation at some stage. And when your time comes, you’ll contribute to the team. That’s how I think. “
Shami looked towards his colleague Mohammed Siraj, who was waiting to speak in the mixed field immediately after the press conference, when he was asked about the team culture and how the bowling group works together.
During the time when Bumrah was out of the team due to a back injury, Shami had seen Siraj become the leader of India’s bowling, leaving him behind. This meant that Shami was appointed as the third frontline pacer in the eleven, where only two could be included due to team dynamics.
“We have a good package,” he said of the bowling group. “You get to see it. You get to see the speed. You get to see the aggression. As far as enjoyment goes, I’ve already told you that if you enjoy the success of others, you get to enjoy it better.” There will be results. And medals in the dressing room too (for best fielder), I believe we will get one today too after returning to the dressing room.”
Did he have a favorite among the five wickets?
“All the dismissals are my favourites, it’s difficult to pick one, it’s like building a building, every brick matters and it’s the same with every wicket, they all matter a lot,” he said.
Shashank Kishore is senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo