Mohammed Shami.
Credit: PTI
One of the standout players for the Indian cricket squad at the World Cup was Mohammed Shami. Mohammed Shami emerged as the Cricket World Cup's highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets. Mohammed Shami's performance was made more remarkable by the fact that he was benched for India's opening games.
When Hardik Pandya was injured, Mohammed Shami was brought in and he delivered incredibly well for India. In the crucial semi-final of the Cricket World Cup, he claimed seven wickets, the highest total by an Indian in One-Day Internationals. The semi-final was even referred to as ‘Shami Final’.
Mohammed Shami is one of the many cricket players from India who did not have it easy to reach where they are now. Despite being from Uttar Pradesh, he represented Bengal in domestic competitions.
In a recent interview on PUMA's YouTube channel, as reported by ndtv, Mohammed Shami revealed that he was rejected as a youngster. He revealed that when his brother spoke with the top selector during the Uttar Pradesh selection trials, they were taken aback by his response.
During the interview Mohammed Shami said, "My brother was told, 'Agar meri kursi hila sakte ho to ladka select ho jayega, bohot acha hai, warna sorry' (If you can move my chair, the boy will be selected). My brother gave one reply 'forget moving the chair, I can turn it upside down, I have that much power.' But I don't want that, if I have the capability I should selected. He was told that people with capability are of no use here. My brother tore up the form and said that after today we will not involve ourselves in UP cricket. That was my last day in UP cricket."
"Then I moved to Calcutta at the age of 14-15. I talked to my coach. I became steadfast that I have to play. I was getting lot of experience. After three-four years, I went to Arun Lal academy. It was a cement pitch. The place for run-up was short. I was surprised. But still I bowled. Then they told me to have lunch. I was against surprised as they gave break and chickpeas curry. I thought I will get rice and daal too”, said Shami.
"I got experience and got an offer from a club, but they were not paying. The struggle went on and then one day I was given Rs 25,000 by a club official,” he added.