Mohammed Shami’s friend Umesh Kumar has revealed the struggles his friend went through when he found himself in the middle of a series of off-field controversies.
The right-handed bowler has enjoyed huge success across all formats of international cricket in recent years. In the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons, Mohammed Shami helped India win a historic Test series in Australia. In the 2019 World Cup, he had picked up an impressive 14 wickets in just 4 games as India reached the semi-finals.
Last year, he shone with the ball again at the ODI World Cup and cemented his legacy as one of the best bowlers of the tournament. Even though he did not play in the first four matches, Mohammed Shami finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker, picking up a staggering 24 wickets in just 7 matches with the help of 3 five-wicket hauls.
While things have been going very well for Mohammed Shami in the last 5-6 years, the situation was not the same during the 2017-18 phase. He found himself in the news for the wrong reasons as his ex-wife accused him of not only domestic abuse but also match-fixing. Following the huge controversy, he also lost his contract as a centre-back.
Shami fought with everything: Umesh Kumar
Recalling that phase, Umesh Kumar opened up about how the Indian star dealt with the allegations and controversies. He revealed that his friend fought back with everything during that phase and he was absolutely devastated when the allegations of marriage arrangement were leveled against him.
“Shami was fighting everything during that phase. He was living with me in my house. But when the allegations of fixing with Pakistan surfaced and led to an inquiry that night, he was devastated. He said he could tolerate everything but not the allegations of betraying my country,” Umesh Yadav said on Shubhankar Mishra’s ‘Unplugged’ podcast.
“It was also on the news that he wanted to do something drastic that night. [end his life]It was about 4am when I got up to drink some water. I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw him standing on the balcony. We lived on the 19th floor. I understood what had happened.
“I think that night was the longest night of Shami’s career. One day when we were talking, he got a message on his phone saying that he had received a certificate of innocence from the committee that was investigating the matter. He was probably happier that day than he would have been if he had won a World Cup,” he added.
Shami showed remarkable composure and courage to turn things around and get his career back on track. He is currently working on his fitness to make his much-awaited return to action.
