Indian team’s star pacer Mohammed Shami has opened up about his availability for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa.
He has revealed that his availability for the away series depends on his injury. The 33-year-old seamstress stated that his knee has been worrying him for quite some time and mentioned that he will have to undergo some tests before deciding his availability for the two tests.
Shami said during an interview with SportsTak: “I am ready to start, but only if I feel no pain. For a long time I had some irritation in my knee. I’ll have to have some tests and checkups. So if it is at a stage where it will not bother me again, I will surely opt for the test series.”
The seamer also expressed his desire to play for India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024. “Obviously, I am ready. I will try to ensure that we do not make the same mistakes again,” Shami added.
Team India showed pure dominance against all the opponents that came their way in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. They completed a streak of 10 consecutive victories to reach the final. However, the Men in Blue were dominated by Australia as the Aussies won the summit clash by six wickets.
Mohammed Shami talks about the World Cup final defeat against Australia
Talking about India’s World Cup campaign, Mohammed Shami said: “Since the day I came home, that has been the only topic of discussion at home or with my friends. It keeps repeating itself and I feel that we were very close to winning the World Cup.”
India were put into bat on a tough Ahmedabad pitch and were restricted by Australia to 240. Defending the target of 241, India got off to a good start as Australia lost three wickets for less than 50 runs. Mohammed Shami mentioned that if the spinners could have taken one or two wickets after the start provided by the seamers, India could have won the World Cup.
“We were able to take three early wickets in the final. I was sure we just needed one more wicket. It crossed my mind that if our spinners took one or two wickets, the game was ours,” Shami explained.
Mohammed Shami acknowledged the overwhelming and unwavering support fans had for Rohit Sharma and co. He mentioned that he did not encounter any negative individuals during the finals. “If you look at our journey in the World Cup, from day one, the entire country enjoyed the effort and play we showed. There was not even a 0.001 per cent chance of finding a negative person who believed that India would not win the World Cup. It was wonderful to see that kind of support for us,” he explained.
India suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the World Cup final. However, the team was the best throughout the tournament. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were the first two run-getters in the tournament, while Mohammed Shami was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament, taking 24 wickets in just seven games, including three five-wicket hauls, which is a record. world in itself.
