Mohammad Shami: The fast and furious
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Mohammad
Shami's superb work ethic and discipline has helped him remain injury
free and he has shouldered the bowling responsibilities without moaning
about the heavy workload. (AFP Photo)
The
story of Mohammad Shami is not dissimilar to hundreds of Indian kids
who leave their rural hearth at an early age in pursuit of their dreams
of making it big.
While most dreams die a slow and painful death in the harsh ground realities of complex urban societies, a few survive to attain full bloom, fuelling hopes in newer generations to aspire for glory.
For Shami, the journey from Sahaspur, a nondescript village near Moradabad in UP's Amroha district, to Sydney has been a journey mostly through the dark.
Armed with a sturdy physique that allowed him to hurl a ball at searing pace and loads of self-belief, Shami traversed the rocky terrain of Indian cricket till he found his paradise -- at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against the West Indies in November 2013.
But it all started when his father Tausif Ali spotted young Shami's ability to bowl fast and took him to nearby Moradabad, where the 14-year-old took his baby steps in the world of cricket under Badruddin Siddique, a local coach. What impressed Badruddin's trained eyes was the lad's ability to bowl for hours without dropping his pace.
"He would travel 20 km from Sahaspur to Moradabad everyday and would arrive one hour before time, do his warm-up exercises and start bowling. And he would continue to do so till I took the ball away from him," recalls Badruddin, who advised Tausif to send his son to a Kolkata club after Shami failed to impress UP selectors at agegroup trials.
It turned out to be a life-changing decision for Shami, who struggled to adjust to his new environment in a city where he knew no one. His remuneration being Rs 500 per match at Dalhousie Club, Shami had to walk the financial tightrope as well, but he never complained.
Shami's genuine pace impressed a Town Club official, who signed him for an annual fee of Rs 75,000 and also put him up in his own house and looked after his well-being.
This helped Shami, who was first exposed to gym work here, and gradually went about toning up his frame. Town Club officials recall that Shami used to be so fond of biriyani that they would promise him his favourite dish in lieu of a few wickets, and Shami would oblige!
It didn't take long for Shami to become the talk of the Kolkata Maidan, and the inevitable offer from a big club came soon enough as Mohun Bagan came calling. Joining a big club has its advantages and within one year, Shami was picked to play for Bengal in Ranji Trophy.
His smooth run-up to the wicket and easy action allowed Shami to generate good pace and his ability to fire away at the stumps meant his victims mostly had their woodwork disturbed.A moderate maiden first-class season paved the way for a moderate IPL contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011.
It was not until 2013 that Shami made his IPL debut for KKR. He played just three matches for them, but in those three seasons KKR's bowling consultant Wasim Akram honed his skills and taught him the tricks of the trade, including the art of bowling reverse swing that he used to good effect in his debut Test against the West Indies later that year.
Shami has not looked back since then and has established himself as a key member of the pace attack. His superb work ethic and discipline has helped him remain injury free and he has shouldered the bowling responsibilities without moaning about the heavy workload.
In the absence of the injured Ishant Sharma, much will depend on Shami's wicket-taking ability if India are to mount a serious challenge in the upcoming World Cup. Shami's strike rate of 28.2 puts him in the top eight ODI bowlers in the world.
While most dreams die a slow and painful death in the harsh ground realities of complex urban societies, a few survive to attain full bloom, fuelling hopes in newer generations to aspire for glory.
For Shami, the journey from Sahaspur, a nondescript village near Moradabad in UP's Amroha district, to Sydney has been a journey mostly through the dark.
Armed with a sturdy physique that allowed him to hurl a ball at searing pace and loads of self-belief, Shami traversed the rocky terrain of Indian cricket till he found his paradise -- at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata against the West Indies in November 2013.
But it all started when his father Tausif Ali spotted young Shami's ability to bowl fast and took him to nearby Moradabad, where the 14-year-old took his baby steps in the world of cricket under Badruddin Siddique, a local coach. What impressed Badruddin's trained eyes was the lad's ability to bowl for hours without dropping his pace.
"He would travel 20 km from Sahaspur to Moradabad everyday and would arrive one hour before time, do his warm-up exercises and start bowling. And he would continue to do so till I took the ball away from him," recalls Badruddin, who advised Tausif to send his son to a Kolkata club after Shami failed to impress UP selectors at agegroup trials.
It turned out to be a life-changing decision for Shami, who struggled to adjust to his new environment in a city where he knew no one. His remuneration being Rs 500 per match at Dalhousie Club, Shami had to walk the financial tightrope as well, but he never complained.
Shami's genuine pace impressed a Town Club official, who signed him for an annual fee of Rs 75,000 and also put him up in his own house and looked after his well-being.
This helped Shami, who was first exposed to gym work here, and gradually went about toning up his frame. Town Club officials recall that Shami used to be so fond of biriyani that they would promise him his favourite dish in lieu of a few wickets, and Shami would oblige!
It didn't take long for Shami to become the talk of the Kolkata Maidan, and the inevitable offer from a big club came soon enough as Mohun Bagan came calling. Joining a big club has its advantages and within one year, Shami was picked to play for Bengal in Ranji Trophy.
His smooth run-up to the wicket and easy action allowed Shami to generate good pace and his ability to fire away at the stumps meant his victims mostly had their woodwork disturbed.A moderate maiden first-class season paved the way for a moderate IPL contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011.
It was not until 2013 that Shami made his IPL debut for KKR. He played just three matches for them, but in those three seasons KKR's bowling consultant Wasim Akram honed his skills and taught him the tricks of the trade, including the art of bowling reverse swing that he used to good effect in his debut Test against the West Indies later that year.
Shami has not looked back since then and has established himself as a key member of the pace attack. His superb work ethic and discipline has helped him remain injury free and he has shouldered the bowling responsibilities without moaning about the heavy workload.
In the absence of the injured Ishant Sharma, much will depend on Shami's wicket-taking ability if India are to mount a serious challenge in the upcoming World Cup. Shami's strike rate of 28.2 puts him in the top eight ODI bowlers in the world.
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