ICC World Cup 2019 | The entire team think-tank made sure Shami was in good hands, reveals Bharat Arun
India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun has revealed that both him and the team think-tank had to sit Mohammed Shami down and have a long talk regarding his cricketing future. Replacing first-choice bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami stepped up in style to save his team the blushes against Afghanistan.
After Mohammed Nabi struck a boundary off the first ball of the final over of the India-Afghanistan clash, the match hung in balance with the equation reading 12 runs off the last 5 balls. However, up stepped Mohammed Shami to deliver a hat-trick and win the game for the Men in Blue.
But, it hasn’t been all roses for Shami in the months leading up to the World Cup. There were serious concerns regarding his fitness, with several memes aimed at him for a bulging belly. Shami was also under immense pressure from problems in his own home with many fearing his cricketing career might be coming to a sad end.
However, bowling coach, Bharat Arun revealed that the Indian team management would not give up on him.
“It was a pretty long conversation. I can’t really bring that to the table here. But yes, Shami was in a totally different mindset. And we had to sit down and speak to him. We had to draw a future map for him and had to convince him regarding that. He was going through certain personal problems as well at that point in time,” said Arun, reported TOI.
Arun also revealed that all the team needed to do was to get Shami to focus on his own natural abilities to play the sport. “Chiefly, what has really got him going is his ability to play cricket and that’s what we made him focus on. It is there for everybody to see,” he added.
The bowling coach was not too worried about Bhuvneshwar’s injury, as he echoed what the team management had previously stated. But, now with Shami striking form, he admits that the team is spoilt for choice.
“Bhuvneshwar’s injury is not of any great concern. It is just a niggle, which we didn’t want to take a chance with. And it was also an opportunity for us to plug Shami into the games. And he’s done exceptionally well so it’s an embarrassment of riches," Arun said.
As an unbeaten Indian side take on the Windies in Manchester on Thursday, Arun has been of the opinion that his bowlers will go for wickets against the attacking nature of the West Indian batsmen.
“It’s a big challenge for the bowlers, especially when they come after you. But whenever batsmen come after you, there is a chance in it for the bowlers, and I think that’s what the bowlers would be looking at,” Arun said.