Mohammed Shami

In 2013, Mohammed Shami donned the blue jersey for India and slowly began to make noteworthy contributions. With his ability to reverse, Shami became an important asset to the limited-overs side. 

Shami had a sizzling Test debut in 2013 on his home ground, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, dismantling the Daren Sammy-led West Indies when all eyes were on Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to do the bulk of the damage. Shami’s reverse swing was unplayable as the Windies batters didn’t have an answer to them. 

With his ability to reverse, he became an indispensable asset to the limited-overs side, becoming the second-fastest Indian to 50 ODI wickets. The World Cup 2015 proved to be a great tournament for him as he took 17 wickets, becoming one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament despite playing the World Cup with a knee injury.

Shami played the complete World Cup 2015 with pain and swelling in his left knee. After almost six months of surgery, Shami resumed playing cricket again and was a part of the 2015 Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He missed the Asia Cup, South Africa’s tour of India, and again got injured in the middle of England and New Zealand’s tours to India.

Shami was selected for India’s tour of South Africa and took 15 wickets in the 3-match series. 

In the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, Shami played as a second-choice bowler after Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bhuvneshwar got injured in a group game against Pakistan, and Shami was brought in for the remainder of the group games. In four matches, Shami picked up 14 wickets, including a fifer and a hat-trick against Afghanistan, and saved India from a shocking loss against the Gulbadin Naib-led team.

Shami entered the IPL when he was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the 2011 season of the league. However, Shami played a handful of matches in that season. He was retained by KKR for the next two seasons and was a part of the team that won the title in 2012.

In 2014, Delhi Capitals (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils) bought Shami for a whopping INR 4.25 crore. He was retained by the franchise for the 2015 edition, but he did not play a single match before becoming a regular in the side from the 2016 season. He bowled at a consistent pace of 140 kmph and above. Before the 2019 edition of the coveted tournament, Kings XI Punjab roped him for a massive INR 4.40 crore.

Shami did not prove to be successful in the initial years. However, he found his mojo in the tournament, with his IPL numbers getting better with every season.

Shami was released by the Punjab Kings after the IPL 2022. Gujarat Titans purchased the Indian pace bowler in 2023. Shami was their leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps in 16 games, and his spells proved vital in Titans’ clinching their maiden IPL title in their debut season. He won the Purple Cap in the IPL 2023, finishing up with 28 wickets in 17 matches.

Shami was India’s mainstay in the T20 World Cups of 2021 and 2022. While it seemed as if he would not make the Indian squad for the 2022 edition of the tournament, Jasprit Bumrah’s injury opened up the doors for his entry. He blew hot and cold throughout these two World Cup campaigns.

Although Shami was not India’s first-choice pick for the XI in the ODI World Cup 2023, an injury to Hardik Pandya forced the side to tinker with their combination and include the veteran pacer.

Shami did not disappoint and emerged as the top wicket-taker among all teams. He took 24 wickets in seven matches, the most by an Indian in a single edition of a World Cup. He grabbed three five-wicket hauls and registered figures of 7/57 in the semi-final versus New Zealand, the best by an Indian bowler in the history of ODI cricket.

Shami has four five-wicket hauls in ODI World Cups, the most by any bowler. He also became the quickest to reach 50 wickets in ODI World Cups. He did so in just 17 matches.

Shami featured in the ODI World Cup with an ankle injury, which kept him out of the South Africa tour and the home series against England. Later, he underwent surgery which eventually ruled him out of the 2024 edition of the IPL.

(As of March 2024)