Shami thinks the current Indian fast bowling unit is the best ever

The Indian pace bowling unit has been instrumental in much of the team’s success over the past few years. With the emergence of a lethal pace bowling quintet of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, India has been blessed with a bowling unit which can win matches for the team in any conditions.

In a recent interview for ESPN Cricinfo, Mohammed Shami threw some light on what makes the unit work. Shami believes that the current Indian pace bowling setup can be compared to and possibly better than the greatest of all time. "You and everyone else in the world will agree to this - that no team has ever had five fast bowlers together as a package,” said Shami, speaking to Deep Dasgupta. "Not just now; in the history of cricket, this might be the best fast-bowling unit in the world,” he gleamed. 

With such ability brimming all around, captain Kohli would have a tough choice to make when it comes to who opens with the new ball. Shami revealed that the skipper takes an intelligent approach. "We surround Virat Kohli and ask him to make the decision," Shami said. "But he normally says, 'don't get me involved in all this; you decide among yourselves, I don't have an issue.' That is the kind of fun we have in our team meetings. I let the other two start. I have no objection to bowling with a semi-new ball.”

It is inevitable that a batsman will be on top for a part of the game, especially in test cricket, and Shami disclosed his mindset during such phases. "If the batsman is set and we haven't been able to pick up a lot of wickets, we try to bowl a tight line and length by dropping our pace," he said. "As soon as we get a wicket, you increase your pace by about 8kph. This difference in speed is pretty visible. If the bowler was bowling at around 140kph earlier, after picking up a wicket he gets his rhythm back, picks up the pace and the same ball is now delivered at 145kph. 

"My mindset while bowling is that if the batsman is playing well, bowl a tight line and length, dry up the runs, and he will surely make a mistake. Once the set batsman is dismissed, I go for the kill as a bowler. That's why it seems like I bowl in two different ways. The 'second-innings Shami' label - that has been created by you guys (the media),” he added.

Shami’s particularly superior record with the ball in the second innings of test matches has aptly earned him the nickname ‘second-innings Shami’. When asked about what makes him so potent in the second innings of a Test, Shami said, "I'm not sure, it just happens. I use the game very smartly in the second innings. Like in the recent match we played in Vizag [Visakhapatnam Test against South Africa] where I got a five-for, the pitch was pretty dead and wasn't offering any bounce. It wasn't turning that much either for our spinners to run through the opposition. But once in a while, the ball was staying low. Batsmen find it tough to play when there is uneven bounce, so you need to bowl within the stumps. It is important to understand how the pitch is behaving.”

Perhaps, it is Shami’s ability to find something in himself and rise when the chips are down, and everyone is tired that makes him special. "Now that we have played enough cricket in various conditions, we are experienced enough to gauge the conditions. You need to use the available conditions smartly. I am usually pumped up in the second innings when everyone else is tired. Everyone has spent three days on the field. Diesel engines take time to pick up compared to petrol ones. I wait patiently for everyone to tire out. You have five days in a Test match. Once everyone is tired, I step up,” Shami said.

[ESPN Cricinfo inputs]