MOHAMMED SHAMI

The Sphinx of Indian Cricket

- GP CAPT ACHCHYUT KUMAR

“Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned”, goes an age-old English proverb, but time and again this scorn has proved to be of great advantage to our country. Tulsidas is said to have been chastised by his wife all because of his infatuation for his wife, and the ridiculed lover went on to compose the Ram Charit Manas which today governs the life of more than a billion people around the world. Kicked out of the home by his wife Vidyotama for his stupidity and ignorance, Kalidas went on to become the greatest dramatist and writer that India has ever produced.

The story of Mohammed Shami has a close resemblance to that of Tulsidas and Kalidas. Accused by his wife of domestic violence to the extent of him having come close to imprisonment, Shami seems to have come back with a vengeance, and the expression of his anger seems to make the opposition batsmen suffer on the cricket field, much to the delight of all Indian cricket fans.

Born to a farmer’s family on 3 September 1990 in a village in the Uttar Pradesh district of Amroha, Shami’s career has been one of uncertainties and injuries.

Paradoxically, it has been injuries to his teammates that have created the vent for Mohammed Shami to come up and prove his worth. In 2012, an injury to one of his teammates created an opportunity for Shami to play for the East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, and with an eight wicket haul, he was instrumental in his team winning the Duleep Trophy.