Didn’t have any idea about reverse swing in beginning, admits Mohammed Shami

Once mastered by the Pakistan legendary pair - Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis - reverse swing has become an art in itself for pace bowlers. In the modern-generation, it has become an absolute necessity for a bowler to pick up this art and excel at it. Mohammed Shami was no different, with the bowler learning the art after he was picked in the Indian team. 

He added that reverse swing is just like any other skill set, you need to practise it before you can execute it regularly. Shami’s growth as a pacer in the last two years has been immense, alongside the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah. 

“As you keep playing, you learn a lot of things. It is all about following one process after the other. So, when you have learnt one trick and mastered it, you then move to the next one and work on that. In the beginning, I didn’t have much idea about reverse swing,” he said, reported Hindustan Times. 

“But slowly I came to understand what the process of reverse swing is all about and how it can be an integral part of a pace bowler’s armoury. Then I started working on it because you are not born with it. It wasn’t like God sent me with the art. I had to work hard and to be honest, you have to work hard for everything that you wish to achieve in life,” he added. 

Until a few years back, Shami was still considered as one of the best bowlers with the red-ball, with his white-ball stock very low. However, since the events in the 2015 World Cup, Shami has picked up the pace with the white-ball, including perfecting his yorkers and reverse swing. 

So much so, he has become a key-force to reckon with in the current Indian bowling attack. The secret, he revealed, is simple - change in mindset and honing the skillset. A change in these two, according to Shami helped him become a better white-ball bowler. 

“Mindset obviously does change as per the format. In terms of skills also you do need to change and adapt as per the format because what will work for you in Tests might not work for you in the shorter formats of the game. It is all about the mindset and how you adapt to the situation,” he concluded.