Team India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has witnessed a significant rise in his career in the last couple of years. Since his debut in 2013, Shami struggled with injuries which halted his rise. However, he has come back strong and steaming in again picking wickets for his side. Recently, Mohammed Shami opened up on his transition and the 2.0 tag.
The cricketer from Uttar Pradesh went through a personal turmoil which almost took his life away. However, with the backing of India bowling coach Bharat Arun and the support staffs, Mohammed Shami has made a strong comeback. He has looked a lot fitter and lost a few kilograms which worked in his favour.
People used to call me lazy: Mohammed Shami
His transition has been a hot topic ever since. Recently, the right-arm pacer opened up on the same revealing how people react to the changes. Shami addressed the fact that people called him lazy previously. However, with his consistent performance in international cricket fans have stopped from using all the negative adjectives.
“When I was new to domestic cricket, even in Ranji Trophy, people used to call me lazy and moody. But when this 2.0 tag was attached to me they have been asking me what have I done differently, what has been the change?
They used to pull my leg earlier by calling me lazy but my performance even back then was fine. But now when my performance has improved, with the 2.0 tag, the questions have changed,” Shami said at Salaam Cricket 2020.
The cricketer from Bengal had outstanding showtime in 2019. He was one of the highest wicket-takers across the formats. Mohammed Shami revealed that he never dreamt of playing for India and featuring in Ranji Trophy was his biggest dream. However, things have changed drastically and Shami is one of the go-to bowlers for Virat Kohli.
“I never targetted playing for India because I had been rejected several times from the UP team. I was just determined to play the Ranji Trophy. Now they ask me what have you done to change yourself. I used to perform well then but now with Shami 2.0, they ask me what has changed?” Shami said.