‘I took 13 wickets in 3 games. What more do you want?’: Kohli, Shastri not spared as Shami reignites 2019 World Cup debate

No Indian bowler has taken more wickets in ODI World Cups than Mohammed Shami. His tally of 55 wickets is the third-best by an Asian bowler and the fifth-best in history. And don’t forget that he is the only bowler ever to have taken four five-wicket hauls in World Cups. However, he has never been a consistent name in the playing XI for India in the last three editions of the ICC tournament. India have played 28 matches in the last three World Cups and Shami has played in only 18 of them, with India winning 15 of those matches.

As in 2023, Shami was on the bench for the first four group matches of the 2019 World Cup, where India were led by Virat Kohli and coached by Ravi Shastri. Shami only made an appearance in the fifth match against Afghanistan, where he scored a hat-trick, before netting a fifer against England in his third appearance.

However, after four appearances in which he took 14 wickets, Shami was rested for the final group match against Sri Lanka, before being omitted for the semi-final against New Zealand. India later suffered an 18-run defeat to the Kiwis.

Speaking to Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube show ‘Unplugged’, Shami admitted that the team management’s attitude in 2019 left him confused. He wondered why his performance was overlooked despite him putting up a great show when every team needs good performers.

“In 2019, I didn’t play in the first 4-5 games. In the next game, I took a hat-trick, then I took a five-wicket haul and then four wickets in the next game. Something similar happened in 2023. I didn’t play in the first few games and then I took a fiver, then four wickets and then another five-wicket haul,” he said.

“I keep asking myself, every team needs players who can perform well. I have taken 13 wickets in three games. What else do you expect from me? I have no questions and no answers. I can only prove myself if I get a chance. You gave me a chance and I took 13 wickets in three games. Then we lost to New Zealand. Played four games in total and took 14 wickets. In 2023, I took 24 wickets in seven games,” he added.

In 2023, Shami was again rested for the first few matches and was only called into the playing XI after Hardik Pandya was injured and later ruled out. He took 24 wickets in seven matches, including two fifers, and played to become the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.