The World Cup Hero of Team India Mohammed Shami on His World Cup Heroics
Mohammed Shami, the star of team India, dismantled New Zealand's chase with a wonderful seven-wicket haul, and the Indian pacer on Wednesday said he was trying to take the pace off the ball to force the batters into their shots. Shami's 7 for 57 was the best figure by an Indian bowler in the marquee event, and the 33-year-old also completed 50 wickets in the tournament in just 17 games. Shami, who bagged the player of the match award, said in the post-match presentation that, "We talk a lot about variations, but I still believe in pitching it up and getting wickets with the new ball. But the focus was to try and take the pace off and see if they're hitting it in the air. It was a chance we had to take.”
However, Shami admitted that the Indians were a bit worried about the dew factor in the evening.
“The wicket was very good; lots of runs were scored in the afternoon. There was some fear of dew; the grass had been shaved off the wicket.”
He further added that "if dew was there, it skidded on, and there's a chance runs could've been made. I was waiting for my chance. I didn't play a lot of white-ball cricket. My return started against New Zealand in Dharamsala.”
However, Shami added that he felt terrible dropping the captain of New Zealand, Kane Williamson, and was relieved that his lapse did not hurt India.