Shami expressed his thoughts during an interview on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube show, ‘Unplugged.’
Shami has an outstanding record in ODIs, having taken 195 wickets in 100 innings at an average of 23.68, including five five-wicket hauls.His World Cup stats are even more impressive, with 55 wickets in just 18 games. This makes him India’s leading wicket-taker in the ICC event and places him fifth overall globally. Reflecting on the 2019 World Cup, Shami recounted, “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 thing 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.”
In the 2023 World Cup, Shami emerged as the highest wicket-taker with 24 scalps in seven games. He was only included in the playing XI after all-rounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out due to injury.
“The one thing I keep wondering is every team needs players who can perform well,” Shami remarked. “I took 13 wickets in three matches. What more do you expect from me?”
During the 2019 edition, despite taking 14 wickets in fours matches, he was benched for the final league match against Sri Lanka and the semi-final against New Zealand, which India lost by 18 runs.
Shami’s bewilderment was palpable as he continued, “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.”
In the 2019 World Cup, Shami was playing under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, with Ravi Shastri serving as the head coach.
Shami’s consistent performance when given the opportunity underscores the importance of utilizing players to their full potential, especially in critical tournaments like the World Cup.