Indian fast bowler Mohammad Shami recently admitted feeling pressure after dropping New Zealand captain Kane Williamson during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 semifinal last month.
Chasing a challenging target of 398 runs in the first semifinal of the ODI World Cup 2023, New Zealand had a shaky start, losing both their openers with the score at 39 for 2. However, Williamson, along with Daryl Mitchell, managed to cause India some trouble with their century-plus stand.
However, in the 29th over, Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah almost got rid of Williamson, but Shami dropped the New Zealand skipper’s catch at mid-on when he was batting at 52 in Kolkata.
Despite the dropped catch, Shami made a strong comeback, eventually dismissing Williamson for 69 and finishing with remarkable figures of 7 for 57 in the semifinal match.
Reflecting on the dropped catch, Shami admitted that he felt a lot of pressure but was determined to make up for it by taking the important wicket of the New Zealand skipper.
Mohammad Shami said on Sports Tak: “Things changed after that dropped catch. I had never expected that I could drop such a catch. I thought to myself that now he has to get out at any cost. I was under a lot of pressure after that. When I was running to bowl, I thought that either he is going to hit me for three sixes, or I would get him out.”
Shami added, “There was a thought that that target was chasable. The match was at the Wankhede Stadium, where there is true bounce. If there are set batters at the crease, it doesn’t matter, even if you need to chase a 400-run target. You can’t be safe after scoring that many runs, especially when you are up against an equal opponent.”
Notably, India won this game by 70 runs against New Zealand, but their hopes of winning the World Cup 2023 were crushed by Australia in the final in Ahmedabad.
Shami finished the CWC 2023 as the highest wicket taker with 24 wickets in 7 games with the help of three five-wicket hauls.
