IPL 2019: Mohammad Shami says R Ashwin understands him as a bowler very well

Shami has picked up 13 wickets for KXIP so far in the IPL 2019.

Mohammad Shami | IANS

Mohammad Shami has been in a tremendous form lately in the white-ball cricket. His consistency got him a place in India's World Cup 2019 squad. This year in IPL he has been KXIP's prime bowler, as, before this season, Shami had never picked up over 10 wickets in an IPL season before this year.

Talking to Firstpost, Shami said, "I have worked very hard on my fitness in the last 12 months. I have lost a lot of weight. So I have made a lot of changes. As far as bowling improvements are concerned, I strongly believe that we need to constantly work on it. We need to regularly talk to coaches, mentors and should follow those tips."

The pacer was bought for Rs 4.8 crore by KXIP in the auction. Shami credited skipper R Ashwin and thanked him for complete freedom. "The best thing is that he knows me very well and also my skills. He has given me the full freedom and compliments me very well on the field as a captain with field settings and on other aspects," said Shami.

Ashwin is only full-time bowling captain in IPL. Shami shared his views on whether bowling captains can make good leaders. He gave an example of Kapil Dev.

Things are going to be tough for KXIP in the upcoming days. They need to win at least two games to be on the safer side.

"Someone would say we need to win two out of four. I say we need to win three out of four. We need to be confident about our self. We need to back ourselves to win those matches. However, it's also important to stay in the present and take one match at a time and give our best," the speedster said.

Shami also said playing back to back cricket helps the cricketers to maintain rhythm. India will start their World Cup campaign on June 5. "As a player, we want to play as much as possible to maintain the rhythm. BCCI will decide about our plans for resting, I cannot say anything on that," the KXIP bowlers stated.

The Indian pacer knows it's about the line and length. He doesn't want to rely too much on conditions. 

"Regardless of conditions and pitches, the most important thing is to maintain a good line and length. Also, we have been quite successful as a bowling unit lately and it's important for us to follow our set plans for continued success," added Shami.

*With Firstpost's Input)

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 24 Apr, 2019

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