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No Indian bowler has picked more wickets in ODI World Cups than Mohammed Shami. He was terrific in the 2023 ODI World Cup and so was in 2019. His tally of 55 wickets is the third-highest by an Asian bowler and fifth in history. He is also the only bowler to grab four five-wicket hauls in World Cups. But, he was never the first choice for India. India played 28 matches in the last three World Cups and Shami appeared in just 18 of those games, India winning on 15 occasions.
Mohammed Shami opened up about the 2019 World Cup in Shubhankar Mishra's podcast
in 2023, Shami was benched for the first four group games. In the 2019 World Cup, India were led by Virat Kohli and coached by Ravi Shastri. Shami made his first appearance in the fifth match against Afghanistan and picked up a hat-trick. Then he scalped a fifer against England in his third appearance.
Shami was rested for the final group game against Sri Lanka and the semifinal against New Zealand. Ultimately, India lost the semi-final against the Kiwis.
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A well-known Journalist and YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra invited Mohammed Shami on a podcast and spoke about lots of things. Shami stated that he was shocked by the management's decision in 2019. He thought every team requires good performers, but then why was his performance overlooked despite putting on the best?
“In 2019 I did not play the first 4-5 games. In the next game, I took a hat trick, then picked up a five-wicket haul, and then four wickets in the next game. A similar happened in 2023. I did not play in the first few games and then picked a fifer, then four wickets, and then a five-wicket haul again,” he said.
“The one thing I keep wondering is every team needs players who can perform well. I took 13 wickets in three matches. What more do you expect from me? I neither have questions nor do I have answers. I can only prove myself when I get the opportunity. You gave me a chance, and I took 13 wickets in three matches. Then we lost to New Zealand. played four matches overall and picked 14 wickets. In 2023, I picked 24 wickets in seven matches,” he added.
In 2023, Shami was rested for the first few games. He got the opportunity to get a spot in the playing XI after Hardik Pandya was injured and ruled out. Shami proved his worth and why he deserved the opportunity in the first place by scalping 24 wickets in seven matches. It also included two fifers as Shami finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.