'Took 13 wickets in three matches, what more do you expect from me' - Mohammed Shami questions exclusion from 2019 World Cup semis

Mohammed Shami was ruthless in the ODI World Cup 2019. He wasn’t part of the playing XI to start with as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were India’s first-choice pacers for the tournament. However, as the tournament progressed, the Virat Kohli-led side introduced Shami, who took the tournament by storm. He picked up a hat-trick against Afghanistan, a five-fer against England and also a four-fer against West Indies. 

Despite his good form and momentum, Shami was dropped from the final league game against Sri Lanka and in the semi-final clash against New Zealand, which India went on to lose by 18 runs. Reflecting upon that, the ace pacer commented that there’s nothing he could have done extra to prove his worth. He added that he tries to prove himself every time he gets an opportunity and cited the example of the ODI World Cup 2023, in which, he finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

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“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 thing 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,” Shami said during an interview on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube show, 'Unplugged.

“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. 

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Notably, Shami is India’s leading wicket-taker in ODI World Cup history. He has played 18 matches in the competition and has 55 scalps to his name.