'We try to bowl as tight as possible' - Mohammed Shami on bowling in tandem alongside Mohammed Siraj against Australia

Star Indian seamer Mohammed Shami was delighted to bowl in tandem with Mohammed Siraj during the first ODI between India and Australia on Friday, March 17 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The duo have taken the responsibility to bowl with the new ball in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah who’s recovering from a back injury.

Both Shami and Siraj have been in terrific form this year picking wickets at crucial stages for the team. Despite India not having the services of Jasprit Bumrah since September 2022, Shami feels they have a great bowling unit in both Tests and limited-overs formats.

"It has been a long time since Bumrah has not been playing. It is our hard luck that he is not there. But we have a very good overall bowling unit for both white and red ball. We support each other a great deal," Shami said in the post-match press conference.

He further said that he enjoys bowling with Siraj as both look to bowl tight lines.

"Siraj has been playing for a while, he has the confidence. It is important to see how well the other bowler is doing when bowling in partnerships. We try to bowl as tight as possible, keeping the ball in specific patches. As a senior bowler you have to lead the way," the 32-year-old pacer said.

Both Shami and Siraj were seen in red-hot form in the first ODI as both picked three wickets each to break the back of Australian batting. After a three-over opening spell, Shami came back in the middle overs and destroyed the Australian lower order. On the other hand, Siraj got the first strike for India dismissing Travis Head in the second over and returned to clean up the tail-enders of the opposition.

As a result, India bowled out Australia for 188 and chased down the target in 39.5 overs with five wickets in hand.

You have to be smart as far as the workload is concerned: Mohammed Shami

Talking about India’s upcoming assignments of the WTC final and ODI World Cup later this year, Shami said that he’s not thinking that far ahead as there’s a lot of time left for the major events. The speedster further put emphasis on workload management in a packed calendar.

"There is a lot of time left for the WTC final and World Cup. As a player, you cannot think that far ahead. You never know what will happen tomorrow," Shami said.

"But you have to be smart as far as the workload is concerned, you have to work on your strengths. You know your workload as per international cricket. It is better to take it series by series or match by match," Shami added.

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