CHENNAI: This World Cup, every time Mohammed Shami runs in to deliver, there seems to be a wicket falling at the other end. He has rekindled the romance of seam bowling. Just like the art of Michelangelo frozen in the ceilings and altar walls of Sistine Chapel, each delivery seemed unique and laced with beauty of its own. Just like the great Renaissance craftsman, Shami was infusing life into each cherry and induced batters into a cerebral slumber, enticing them into shots that were never there, creating a maze of illusion and reality.
Before his bowling came to ‘new’ life in this World Cup, like all mortals, his career too went through a web of surreal success and dejections too; a life of myriad emotions. The story started in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. The art of bowling was passed on to his sons by an aspiring cricketer, who couldn't make it beyond his village and a few cities outside. Tousif Ahmed earned the moniker of 'Tez Gendbaz' when he was in his 20s but it all ended in Amroha. Even as he made peace with his destiny, he was determined he would not let another talent go to waste.
The third-generation landlord from Sahaspur Alinagar village in Amroha district, Tousif, who passed away in 2017, got another shot at realising the dream when his elder son Haseeb started following in his footsteps. But tragedy stuck there as well. Kidney stones a day ahead of trials for the UP under-19 team meant Haseeb couldn't take part. Incidentally, Haseeb had also become a pacer learning nuances of swing bowling watching greats like Wasim Akram and Michael Holding on TV. Like father, like son, Haseeb passed on the skills to his younger brother Shami, who would later be known as Mohammed Shami and go on to become the most successful Indian bowler at the 2023 ODI World Cups.
The struggles were not over yet as Shami was rejected multiple times for the UP U-19 team which eventually prompted his coach based out of Moradabad, Badruddin, to send him to Kolkata when he was only 16. As the story goes, the coach got a call from Kolkata's Dalhousie Athletic Club seeking a replacement for one of their pacers who got injured before a local league quarterfinal. Soon enough, Shami was on a train to the 'City of Joy' in quest of greener pastures.
He might have been playing on uneven grounds of Amroha and Moradabad before moving to Kolkata but back home his father had got a cement pitch prepared for his son. But life was dreadfully difficult in the new city as he went through the grind in the Kolkata maidens. His match fee was a meagre Rs 500 per match and he used to stay in shared accommodation like any other up-and-coming cricketer in the city.
Tapan Chaki, who was the secretary of the Dalhousie Athletic Club then, vividly recollects those early days. "For first division league matches, we used to hire cricketers from other states and Shami came here for the same purpose," he told this daily. "If I remember correctly, four players were called from UP and Bihar back then and Shami was one among them," added 68-year-old Tapan, who also served as the president of the club that completed its 140 years last year.
Shami not only impressed the club officials with his bowling but also with his behaviour. "Shami and other players were sent to Bournvita Cricket Academy, which was started by former India player Arun Lal, to test their skills. Shami was brilliant and so he was hired by the club. For the first two days, he was given a room at the club and later shifted to a flat nearby."
The upward trajectory in life continued as Shami then joined Town Club a year later. Debabrata Das, one of the senior office-bearers of the club, was behind Shami joining the new club. He was given an annual contract of Rs 70,000 and paid Rs 100 as daily food allowance. Das initially kept Shami at his home.
As he loves to rattle batters with his swinging deliveries, Shami equally enjoys food delicacies, especially biryani. There is a famous incident that highlights Shami's love for biryani. As Das told a journalist, "We needed four wickets so I asked Shami to get the job done. He was confident and said, 'Sir you don't worry but keep four plates of biryani ready once I bag those wickets'. And he did it. The lure worked as he really loves biryani."
It was while playing a first division league match for Town Club against Suburban Club that Shami impressed former Bengal and Indian selector Sambaran Banerjee. "That day I was watching a first division league match between Town Club and Suburban Club. Shami was playing for Town Club and his team was fielding. He was bowling with the wind and extremely well," Banerjee had told this daily.
The envious position of the seam he manages is compared with greats like Glenn McGrath. Even in his early days, he showed such promise and even now he strives to hold that seam straight. Banerjee was so impressed with this young bowler that he drafted him into the Ranji Bengal team after that game.
Rest as they say is history.