India vs England| Not yielding wickets was a bit frustrating, says Mohammed Shami

India vs England| Not yielding wickets was a bit frustrating, says Mohammed Shami

no photo

Mohammed Shami has stated that he was frustrated after bowling at proper lengths and hitting good areas, and still unable to dismiss the English batsmen. He also mentioned that he has learned from all the mistakes throughout the series and performed better than what he did in the 2014 Test series.

Shami bowled 30 overs and gave away 72 runs for no wickets in the first innings and 25 overs and followed it with 110 runs and two wickets in the second innings of the ongoing Oval Test. The pace bowler was seen hitting the proper lengths and getting the basic rights, but failed to get those edges that might have helped India pick up some crucial English wickets.

To add to his penury, his partner in crime, Ishant Sharma left the field due to injury, leaving Shami with the sole responsibility of restricting the Englishmen with the pace bowling. Shami stated that he tried his level best to bowl at proper lengths but couldn't pick up wickets for the team and that kept pricking him throughout the match. He also mentioned that Ishant Sharma's absence put him under a bit of a pressure. 

“It depends on luck sometimes. As a bowler, your main target is to hit good areas consistently, especially with the new ball. Whether that yields wicket depends on luck, but it is certainly a bit frustrating... the ball beat the bat several times, but it's fine, I've to accept the wickets I got. It is difficult when you're one bowler short, and in these conditions you'll have to bowl since it is fast-bowler friendly. Yes, the load increases but it's nothing so serious. It happens, bowlers feel discomfort and as a means of preventing injury, you leave the field. We have a great understanding in the bowling group in that regard,” he said at the post-match press conference.

India had a tough time throughout the Test series. The bowlers were easily the best performers in the Indian side but with them failing to pick adequate wickets led England to mount huge scores at times in the series. And Shami has been of the opinion that the series was a big lesson for the entire team and he has taken this defeat in a positive way and would learn from his mistakes to come back stronger.

However, he also mentioned that his performance in this Test was comparatively better than what he did in the 2014 Test, where a lot was expected from him but he could only take five wickets in three matches that he played. He also conceded 36 boundaries, bowled only 47 maidens in 315 overs failing to build any pressure whatsoever. Shami struggled even in the bowler-friendly pitch of Lords and another failure at Southampton meant he was dropped for the last two Tests back then.

"I've learnt a lot. When we had come here in 2014, we didn't even have that much experience and we weren't mature (as bowlers). This time, we watched a lot of videos of Jimmy Anderson and (Stuart) Broad to see where they pitched the ball, especially in English conditions. As compared to last time, we did better this time," he said. 

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all