Indian speedster Mohammed Shami has been extremely impressive in the past few years, and continued his good form against the South Africans in the first Test at Centurion. The Bengal man was quite possibly the pick of the Indian bowlers in the first Test, bowling a brilliant spell of fast bowling, as he picked up five wickets, skittling the Proteas for 197. He was also mighty impressive in the second, as he scalped three wickets, as India gained a historic victory over the hosts.
On the way to India’s win, Shami crossed a personal milestone as well, as he completed 200 wickets in Test cricket, becoming the third-fastest after Kapil Dev and Karnataka man Javagal Srinath, and the fifth Indian pacer overall to achieve the landmark.
“You look at Bumrah because he’s special. But if we equalise every condition, India’s number one Test pacer is Mohammad Shami, especially at this point in time. He asks questions with the delivery of his.”
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The Rajasthan veteran unravelled the mystery of the paceman’s seemingly eternal good form and attributed it to his ability to bowl in the right areas for consistent periods of time.
”He bowls on dangerous areas consistently and releases the ball with so close to the stumps. Who bowled the most deliveries on fourth stump? Who bowled the maximum deliveries that were hitting on top of off?”
Chopra also heaped praise on ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, labelling him a ‘national asset’. The 28-year-old bowled fabulous spells as he picked up five wickets in the match, squaring up many of the Proteas batsmen on more than one occasion. His brilliance was no match for the South African batsmen, who could hardly play him.
“Jasprit Bumrah is a national asset. He’s a treasure. We are so fortunate that our fast bowling unit has matured together. Bumrah took important wickets at important phases of the game.”
said Chopra.
The Men in Blue will be looking to capitalise on their extraordinary start with a win in Johannesburg to seal a historic series win for the visitors.
