Jasprit Bumrah has been a phenomenal performer for the Indian cricket team and he played a massive role in guiding them to the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. He has earned a lot of praise from both experts and critics with many haling him as a legend of the modern game. However, Indian cricket team fast bowler Mohammed Shami picked himself as the best Indian bowler at present during a chat with Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube. When asked “India ka sabse behtar bowler kaun? (Who is the best bowler in India?”, Shami responded – “Abhi? Main he manta hoon. (Right now? I think it is me”.
“Humari jo unit rahi hai, mai, Jassi (Bumrah), Ishant bhi usme tha, Bhuvneshwar bhi usme tha, Umesh Yadav. Jo ye 5-6 the naa hum ek saath, mujhe lagta hai duniya ki kisi unit ne itna enjoy nahi kiya hoga jo is unit ne kiya hai. Main to maanta hoon.. main 1 aur No. 2 pe believe nahi karta. As a person, as a sportsman, as a unit, jo meri life mei ye 5-6 logo ki unit bani thi na one of the best thi (The unit we had. Me, Bumrah. Ishant was there, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh Yadav. I do not think anyone in the world has enjoyed as much as we 5-6 bowlers. I do not believe in No. 1 or No. 2. As a person, as a sportsman, the unit we had of 5-6 people was one of the best ever),” Shami added.
Shami also opened up about not playing in the 2019 World Cup semifinal despite stellar performances.
“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 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,” he said.
“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,” Shami added.