India vs Sri Lanka: Mohammed Shami is among the world’s top three fast bowlers, says Virat Kohli
India’s Mohammed Shami during the Sri Lanka tour. (Source: Reuters) India’s Mohammed Shami during the Sri Lanka tour. (Source: Reuters)
After leading India to a 3-0 victory in the Sri Lanka three-match Test series, India captain Virat Kohli was all praise for Mohammed Shami and rated him as one of the top three fast bowlers in the world.
Kohli said in a post match press-conference, “I certainly rate Shami among the world’s top three fast bowlers for sure. Because of his wicket-taking ability and the kind of impact he has on games. When he makes up his mind to come out and give it his 120 percent, then he can bowl like this – 145, 140 clicks on a regular basis and troubling the batsmen.”
“It is not just reckless bowling. So he is a quality bowler. He has all the ingredients of becoming a consistent world-class bowler, provided the fitness factor can be maintained and hopefully he is not hampered with any more injuries,” said Kohli, who said that Shami will be a world class bowler once his injuries are taken care of.
“He is a very valuable bowler for us and when he is on song, it’s delightful to watch. We all really enjoy standing on the field and watching him bowl like that. He is very special,” Kohli added.
Kohli was also all praise for Hardik Pandya, who scored his first Test century in Pallekele. He said, “Performance has spoken for itself. People might have problems with the kind of demeanour he has or the belief he carries with himself, but we certainly in the team have no doubts on that.”
“We let him be who he is, we let him express himself. You know, a guy who can get a 50 and a hundred in his first three games batting at No 8 has to have something special in him.”
The skipper added, “And the innings that he played here, after we were 320 for 6, it wasn’t just mad slogging. He actually used his brain and batted with the tail, which I think is a great sign for us. All doubts aside from the outside, inside the team, we absolutely have 120 percent faith in him.”
On India’s performance in the Sri Lanka series, the 26-year old said, “Our strength in the last couple of years has been bench strength. That’s why we have been able to get the results that we have because we have played different players on different occasions, but everyone has been fit and ready to come and do the job.”
“Mostly we have played people depending on the conditions where we feel they will be most effective. That depth has really helped us capitalise more situations in favour of the team and end up winning Test matches and series. That you can say has been the defining factor,” he concluded.
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