Nothing less than winning the World Cup will satisfy Team India, reveals Mohd Shami ahead of today’s tie against Zimbabwe
Mohd Shami
Auckland: Mohammad Shami is the shy guy in the Indian pace bowling line-up, who prefers to let the ball do all the talking. But even he couldn’t contain himself when it came to revealing the mood in the Indian camp as they eye victory No 6 in the ongoing World Cup against Zimbabwe today at Eden Park.
Mohd Shami
Three days after Team India director Ravi Shastri said that India will win the World Cup, post their eight-wicket win over Ireland at Hamilton, the 25-year-old Shami said the team is highly motivated and have nothing less than the prestigious trophy in their sights.
When asked to compare the feeling in the team this time vis-a-vis in 2011 when it was all dedicated to Sachin Tendulkar, Shami said: “Winning the World Cup in itself is huge motivation for us. All eyes are on the World Cup and everyone has a lot of expectations from us. The focus is to win the Cup, come what may. The 2011 World Cup did have a bit more craze since it was Sachin Tendulkar’s last World Cup and everyone in the team worked towards achieving that goal. We are playing this World Cup in the same way. Who knows, who will be missing from the next World Cup. We are playing the World Cup with the same kind of intensity (as the team did in 2011),” Shami, who has collected 12 wickets from the fours matches he has played so far in the tournament.
The pace ace said he was enjoying his stint under India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, having made his debuts in all formats under the wicketkeeper and gave him credit for his success.
'Lucky to play under MS'
“I am lucky that all my debuts — Tests, one-dayers and Twenty20s — have all come under Dhoni and the way he handles things is good to me. He keeps me tension-free and never says anything if I make mistakes. He never gets angry. It’s very good for a bowler that the captain backs him and that’s the biggest plus for me. When I came to international level, I felt a lot more comfortable than at the domestic level. This is the confidence that has helped me so far and I’ll try to take this self-confidence ahead,” added Shami.
Live today
India vs Zimbabwe on Star Sports 1, 3, HD 1, HD 3 & DD, 06:30
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