Champions Trophy: Comeback man Shami stands out in India’s outing

Mohammed Shami’s tryst with ICC’s major ODI tournaments simply refuses to end. Otherwise, how do you describe an ageing fast bowler — with question marks over his form thanks to a serious ankle injury during the 2023 World Cup — announcing his comeback with a fifer in the opening win of India’s Champions Trophy campaign?

The 34-year-old’s figures of 10-0-53-5 may not be his most impressive, as after the early wickets of the experienced Soumya Sarkar and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shami looked to be operating at medium pace for the middle overs. Centurion Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali, the two saviours of Bangladesh, challenged him with pulls that would have done a Rohit Sharma proud, but the veteran stuck to his job manfully. Towhid, incidentally, became the first Bangladesh batter to hit a century against India in a ICC tournament.

Shami then struck telling blows to cut short the Bangladesh lower order’s attempt to take the score beyond 250 and became the 'quickest' to reach 200 ODI wickets — taking fewer deliveries than Australia's Mitchell Starc. The Indian is now joint second in terms of number of matches taken to reach the landmark with Pakistan great Saqlain Mushtaq (104). Starc heads the list with 102 matches.

And yes, he now has the highest number of wickets (60) among Indian bowlers in ICC tournaments.

A year back around this time, there were serious doubts as to whether the 2023 World Cup, where Shami emerged as the highest wicket taker, would be his last hurrah in international cricket. Despite all the odds he has overcome in a chequered career — from a knee injury as early as the 2015 World Cup to upheavals in his personal life — the last one was deemed a sucker punch for the feisty character.

The uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for this marquee 50-over event meant Shami had to be primed to lead the pace attack. The team management did its best to phase him into international cricket, and sure enough, he did not disappoint in the first outing. As the fifth wicket came, his brief allowance at celebration was pointing a finger skyward in thanksgiving to the powers above.

Incidentally, it was a day when the Tigers redeemed a lot of faith in their cricket for their fans, irrespective of the outcome. The 154-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Hridoy and Jaker was a study in character and ideal skillsets in this format against an attack comprising spinners of the calibre of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

The duo came together at the fall of Mushfiqur Rehman’s wicket and with the score at 35/5 and when Jaker departed with the score at 189/6, they were on the way to a fighting total to stay in the game.

Virat departs

As the match progressed, it was evident that the batters would have to cut down on flourish and stay at the wicket for runs. Captain Rohit Sharma and his deputy Shubman Gill began the chase sedately, but once the former departed with the score at 69/1 after the PowerPlay, the Bangladesh spinners looked like making a match of it.

A lot of credit must go young leg-spinner Rihad Hussain for the way he plotted Virat Kohli’s downfall. He was deliberately trying to pitch it on the off and lure Kohli into trying to make room for the cut, and the later fell for it as he failed to keep one down and perished at the hands of short third man.