Mohammad Shami gave credit for India's fast bowling transformation to India skipper Virat Kohli, whose desire to see his pacemen run-in all day, backed in earnest by a shrewd bowling coach in Bharat Arun, has helped Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah emerge as a threatening pace trio in Test match cricket across conditions.
The cultural change is also reflective in the quality of the back-ups available to be picked, with the likes of Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini & co warming the benches.
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"I think the results bear testimony to the fact that Virat backs us to the core," Shami told IANS. "He has always given us that freedom to do what we feel confident about. Also, it is very important at the international level to have a captain who knows your strengths and weaknesses and also backs you. This in turn helps you raise your game."
"Also, Virat has a lot of trust in our abilities and he gets the result because as a bowler, all you need is for the captain to back you and believe in you and your vision."
Shami is rated as a world-class exponent of uneven bounce, reverse swing, especially on drier surfaces. An area where he perhaps needs to work on is the ability to generate conventional swing in foreign conditions, something his experienced teammate Ishant loves doing.
"I try to ensure that my pace doesn't fall below the 140kph mark. But my focus is on the seam and swing," he said. "I have always tried to make sure that these two things remain perfect. I can bring pace with my physical strength and you can always work on it by doing strength training. But I have always given priority to swing and seam and never for a minute let them take a backseat."
Shami revealed how he mastered the art of reverse swing.
"As you keep playing, you learn a lot of things," he said. "It is all about following one process after the other. So, when you have learnt one trick and mastered it, you then move to the next one and work on that. In the beginning, I didn't have much idea about reverse swing."
"But slowly I came to understand what the process of reverse swing is all about and how it can be an integral part of a pace bowler's armoury," Shami added.
"Then I started working on it because you are not born with it. It wasn't like God sent me with the art. I had to work hard and to be honest, you have to work hard for everything that you wish to achieve in life."
The 29-year-old also urged people to practise social distancing and take necessary precautionary measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is a very difficult time and conditions are not easy," he said. "Nobody ever thought that something like this will happen and to be honest we weren't prepared for this. It is a time where everyone has to come together.
"We are not used to staying indoors for so long. But that is the call of the hour and we must abide by the directions given to fight the pandemic. Also, I request everyone to use masks and sanitizers because that is the way forward," Shami added.
(Inputs from IANS)
