Indian fast bowler Mohamed Shami admitted he was under pressure after dropping New Zealand captain Kane Williamson during the World Cup semi-final last month. Chasing an improbable target of 398 runs, New Zealand got off to a poor start and staggered to 39 for 2 after losing their first two matches.
Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell steadied the ship and revived New Zealand’s hopes with a resistance of more than a century. India were finding it difficult to break the stand and were steadily moving backwards when Williamson offered an easy catch to Mohammed Shami midway through the 29th minute.
The India pacer, however, failed to hold on to the catch. Williamson was batting on 52 at the time. However, before the fall could prove costly for India, Mohammed Shami made amends by dismissing the New Zealand captain before destroying his middle and lower order. Williamson was dismissed for 69 and Mohammed Shami finished the match with historic figures of 7 for 57.
Mohammed Shami on dropping Kane Williamson:
Recalling the missed catch, Mohammed Shami revealed that he was under a lot of pressure after the missed opportunity. He said he was desperate to make amends for the fall by sacking the New Zealand skipper.
“Things changed after that fall. I never expected that I could release such a catch. I thought to myself that now it has to come out at any cost. After that I was under a lot of pressure. When I ran to bowl, I thought he was either going to hit three sixes or I was going to get him out.” Mohammed Shami told Sports Tak.
“It was thought that this objective was pursueable. The match was at the Wankhede Stadium, where there is real bounce. If there are prepared batsmen in the crease, it doesn’t matter, even if you need to chase a target of 400 runs. “You can’t be confident after scoring so many runs, especially when you are facing an equal opponent.” he added.
India eventually won the game by 70 runs after bowling New Zealand for 327. Shami finished the World Cup as the highest wicket-taker. He got 24 wickets in 7 games with the help of three five-wicket hauls.