‘He’s the best, but even the best has those little flaws’ – Mohammed Shami on prizing out Virat Kohli’s wicket

Mohammed Shami, the Indian fast bowler, has tried to decipher the ways to get rid of national captain Virat Kohli. The speedster reckons that one can get insight into someone’s strengths and weaknesses by spending more time with them. For Shami, it’s about pegging away at a batsman’s blind spot, adding that even the best doing the rounds are prone to a few errors.

Virat is currently the only international batter with an average of over 50 in all three formats. Having notched in excess of 21,000 runs, the Delhi-born has given opponents plenty of headaches. Virat has 70 tons for India and is third on the list of most international centuries after Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. Shami stated that a bowler has to figure out the batter’s weak zones and work on it.

You have to just work on the weak zone: Mohammed Shami

“There are a lot of things that come with playing and spending quality time with another player. You not only come to know of his strengths, but also of his weaknesses. As a bowler, you need to keep working on the weak zones,” Shami was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).

“There is no denying the fact that he is the best in the business, but even the best has those little flaws which you can work on. You just need to pick on one factor and focus on that,” he stated.

“Say for example, which has been the area that has troubled a batsman in recent times? You then work on that. I have dismissed him quite a few times (in the IPL) and without getting into much details, I will say you have to just work on the weak zone,” he added.

Shami also lauded Virat for backing the bowlers to the core. The pacer said that the captain has helped him raise his game by showing enough faith. Shami mentioned that Kohli trusts the players’ abilities and that has yielded results. In 49 Tests, 77 ODIs and 11 T20Is, Shami has picked up 180, 144 and 12 wickets respectively after making his debut back in 2013.