Mohammad Shami has been a champion fast bowler for India over the last one decade. He was an integral part of the Indian team that won the Test series in Australia and pushed England and South Africa on their home soil.

Shami has also been a star performer for India in the last three editions of ODI World Cup. His tally of 55 wickets is the third best by an Asian bowler and fifth overall in the World Cup history.

While Shami has enjoyed the highest of highs, he has experienced certain lows as well, both on and off the field. In fact, the situation was so bad that the right-arm quick had thought of committing suicide while battling personal issues.

Notably, Shami's estranged wife Hasin Jahan had accused him of domestic violence in 2018, which led to the BCCI upholding his central contract for some time.

Among many other claims, he was slapped with match-fixing allegations by his ex-wife. Moreover, dealing with injuries and being away from his daughter was also distressing for the cricketer.

"Shami was fighting with everything during that phase. He lived with me in my house. But when the fixing allegations with Pakistan broke, and led to a probe that night, he was shattered. He said that I can tolerate everything but not allegations of betraying my country," Shami’s friend Umesh Kumar said on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast 'Unplugged'.

"It also came in the news that he wanted to do something drastic that night [end his life]. It was around 4 AM in the morning when I got up to drink water. I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw that he was standing on the balcony. It was the 19th floor we were living in. I understood what happened. That night of Shami's career, I feel, was the longest. Later, one day, when we were talking, he got a message on his phone saying he got a clean chit from the committee that was investigating the matter. He was probably happier that day than he would have been if he had won a World Cup," he added.

Shami, who also featured in the podcast, explained what kept him going despite all the allegations.

"It depends on what you prioritise more and then on the other person on how true his/her statements are. So when you know that the other person's actions are invalid and not important to you, you should not leave your priorities. If I had not been the Mohammed Shami, I am today, no one would have cared about my situation, and neither would the media be interested in it. Then why should I leave the thing that made me Shami. So you have to keep fighting," he remarked.

Mohammad Shami underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year. As a result, he missed the home Test series against England, followed by the IPL and the T20 World Cup.

Shami, who started bowling in the nets only recently, is likely to make a comeback in the home series against Bangladesh. India will host Bangladesh for two Tests and three T20 Internationals in September-October.