Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

India’s pace-bowling attack is the best in the world: Shami | Mohammed Shami believes India have the best bowling attack in the world

Mohammed Shami believes that India’s current fast bowling unit is one of the best in cricket’s history as there was no team with five fast bowlers “as a package”.

Also, the speedster spoke about his heroics in the 2nd innings; namely, his nickname “2nd innings Shami” in an interview with Deep Dasgupta for ESPNCricInfo.

“You and everyone else in the world will agree to this – that no team has ever had five fast bowlers together as a package. Not just now, in the history of cricket, this might be the best fast-bowling unit in the world,” Shami said. India’s fast bowling core consists of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar alongside Mohammad Shami.

Also read: OPINION – which team has the best bowling attack in the world?

While speaking about his personal record in the 2nd innings, the Bengal pacer said that he steps up when everyone else is tired.

“I’m not sure, it just happens. I use the game very smartly in the second innings. Like in the recent match we played in Vizag (against South Africa) where I got a five-for, the pitch was pretty dead and wasn’t offering any bounce. You need to use the available conditions smartly. I am usually pumped up in the second innings when everyone else is tired. Everyone has spent three days on the field. Diesel engines take time to pick up compared to petrol ones. I wait patiently for everyone to tire out. You have five days in a Test match. Once everyone is tired, I step up.”

Shami’s wickets tally is almost similar with 88 and 92 wickets in the 1st and 2nd innings of a Test match. But his average drops significantly from 32 in the 1st innings to 21 in the 2nd.

“Once the set batsman is dismissed, I go for the kill as a bowler. That’s why it seems like I bowl in two different ways. The ‘second-innings Shami’ label – that has been created by you guys (the media).”

Also read: 3 reasons why the IPL will go ahead in 2020

He also opened up about Virat Kohli and said that the captain doesn’t decide on choosing the new ball bowler and leaves it upto the fast bowler to decide among themselves.

“We surround Virat Kohli and ask him to make the decision. But he normally says, ‘don’t get me involved in all this; you decide among yourselves, I don’t have an issue.’ That is the kind of fun we have in our team meetings. I let the other two start. I have no objection to bowling with a semi-new ball.”

The 29-year old said that a wicket motivates the bowler resulting an increase in the speed.

“As soon as we get a wicket, you increase your pace by about 8kph. This difference in speed is pretty visible. If the bowler was bowling at around 140kph earlier, after picking up a wicket he gets his rhythm back, picks up the pace and the same ball is now delivered at 145kph.”

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.

Also read:

• OPINION – which team has the best bowling attack in the world?
• IPL vs T20 World Cup: What do fans want to see?
• 3 reasons why the IPL will go ahead in 2020
• Doubt over Australia’s ODI series vs Zimbabwe in August
• Will the T20 World Cup go ahead? “Unlikely” and “very, very unlikely”, says CA Chairman