India pacer has been rested in the fourth Test, but that didn’t stop him from celebrating his 31st birthday in style as he cut his cake in front of thousands of Indian fans at the Oval.
For a couple of years, Mohammad Shami has been one of India’s most important bowlers in all formats. He has been rested for the ongoing Test match against England at the Oval to manage his workload as India’s cricketing schedule intensifies over the next few months.
The Punjab Kings seamer was seen sitting on the sidelines with some teammates and support staff during the second day of the fourth test match.
The crowd was chanting his name on the occasion of his birthday despite him not being in action, which shows the Indian fans’ love for the Amroha-born pacer.
An Indian fan, who was wearing a “Happy Birthday Shami” shirt and donning a tri-color turban, approached Shami and requested him to cut the cake.
The pacer quickly cut the cake, which brought joy to the fans seated in the nearby area. Shami then waved to the fans and clapped in appreciation of the support.
Shami is getting some much needed time off the field as the IPL 2021 and T20I World Cup are scheduled in the upcoming months. Mohammad would have loved to play this Test match as the pitch is flat, and this is where he comes into his own.
The on-going match has been quite exciting once again. India started the second day very well as they got a few early wickets but Ollie Pope (91 off 159) along with Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes managed to earn a healthy lead for the hosts.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul protected their wickets during the last session yesterday and took India to a score of 43/0 at stumps. The duo continued the good work even on the third day as they registered an opening stand of 83.
Rahul was dismissed on 46, but Rohit carried on along with Cheteshwar Pujara. India are 160/1 at the moment, with Rohit unbeaten on 70 and Pujara on 42.
