Few bowlers can strip a batter of his technique, judgement, and ego like Mohammed Shami. The fast bowler from a nondescript village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sahaspur, which literally translates to the “land of courage”, bowled with a big heart, indefatigable spirit, and unmatched skill over 64 Tests to con batters around the globe.Former England captain Alastair Cook’s dismissal during the Visakhapatnam Test in 2016 was a case in point. Shami bowled a series of outswingers that forced Cook to play away from his body. On cue, he delivered a perfect inswinger that jagged back sharply to sneak past Cook’s defence and cannon onto the stumps.“It’s all in those beautiful wrists,” Shami’s childhood coach Badruddin Siddiqui told TOI.“The reason for his success was that he released the ball late and did not rush through his action. This helped him get late swing off the track. With those malleable wrists, he made subtle changes at the point of release that batters found hard to pick,” the coach demystified Shami’s skill set.Like S Sreesanth, Shami possessed one of the most upright, God-gifted seam positions in world cricket. Shami was also a bit of a paradox because of the ability to make the old ball skid low while also hurling the ‘heavy ball’ that flew past the batter’s nose.The ‘heavy ball’ — the delivery that pitches shorter and reaches the batter quicker than expected, and hits the bat with extra force despite bowling from a relatively smooth, upright run-up — became Shami’s calling card on numerous overseas tours.The 2018 Johannesburg Test was a classic example: he dismantled South Africa, cruising at 124/1, for 177 to hand India a landmark 63-run win. Shami finished with figures of 5/28, unleashing his trademark ‘heavy ball’ on a spicy Wanderers pitch.At times, he could be erratic even when the conditions were loaded in his favour, and looked jaded and desultory on the field. But without any warning, he would hurl a magical, match-altering spell against the run of play. This streak of unpredictability made Shami irresistible, and he was instrumental in India winning more matches abroad, especially under Virat Kohli’s captaincy.Shami was also a great senior, who passed on his art and tricks of the trade to youngsters.“Shami bhai is tremendous. I learnt a lot of things from him during my time in the IPL while playing for Punjab Kings. Subtle things like bowling at the death and with the semi-new ball,” pacer Ankit Rajput said.At 36, Shami had been performing admirably in this Ranji season, picking up 14 wickets in his last three games. Yet the constant snubs and time away from international cricket turned him a tad disillusioned.“He was trying hard to make a comeback. But after a point, he realised that he was not going to get another chance in Tests, which is why he chose to retire from long-form cricket,” Badruddin explained.“He wants to play the ODI World Cup next year. He has kept that window open,” he added. Shami is India’s highest wicket-taker in the 50-over World Cups, with 55 scalps from 18 games at an impressive average of 13.5.The sorcerer of seam signs off from Tests, leaving a gaping hole in India’s bowling roster. Finding Shami’s replacement would be as difficult as locating Sahaspur on the India map.
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