After Mohammed Shami bowled a game-changing spell in the Cape Town Test, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has praised the speedster saying that no batsman in the world would be happy to face the 31-year-old. Gambhir further added that Shami has been a threatening bowler throughout the series.
India are currently playing a three match Test series against South Africa and both the teams have won a fixture each. The visitors were restricted to 223 runs in the first innings of the series decider, and South Africa in reply could manage only a total of 210 runs. Jasprit Bumrah scalped five wickets, while Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami picked two wickets each.
Bumrah was brilliant with the ball as he claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in the longest format of the game, but one spell from Mohammed Shami swung the match in favour of the visitors. The 31-year-old scalped the wickets of Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne in the 56th over of the South Africa batting innings, and brought India back to the game.
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir praised Shami for his brilliant spell, and stated that no one would be happy to face the Indian speedster. The former Indian cricketer further added that Shami has been a threatening bowler throughout the three-match Test series.
“More than the fear, he was threatening throughout the day, in this innings, and probably throughout the series. The kind of lengths which he bowled, kept testing the batter. Ask any top batsman. No one would want to face him. He bowls so close to the stumps that he is always in or around off-stump. And from there on, he gets the movement and from there on he gets the edges,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
Shami has so far clinched 208 wickets from 57 Test matches. Also, the right-arm fast-medium bowler has scalped 47 wickets from 11 Tests against South Africa. Gambhir opined that Shami is currently one of the best bowlers in red-ball cricket.
“I think Mohammed Shami or Jasprit Bumrah will keep challenging any batter. More me, Mohammed Shami is relentless and he’s very threatening. He is probably one of the best bowlers going around in red-ball cricket,” Gambhir added.
India are poised at 57/2 taking a lead of 70 runs in total at the end of Day 2.
