CHENNAI: Watching Mohammed Shami bowl with the new ball is a delight. From the smooth run-up to the upright release with a straight seam till the ball lands before swinging either way is pure theatre. While he has done that consistently, and has been mighty effective, for India, since joining Gujarat Titans last year, the pacer has translated the same in the IPL.
During the title-winning campaign last year, Shami took 20 wickets off which 11 came in the powerplay and eight in the death overs. With the new ball, he was swinging it both ways, attacking the stumps, bowling as many as 140 dot balls of the 240 he delivered in the phase. His economy of 6.62 in the powerplay has only made it better.
If 2022 was a stand out season, this year, he has been better. Currently, the purple cap holder, thanks to his 4/11 against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday, Shami has taken 17 wickets with as many as 12 of his victims being top-order batters in the powerplay. His economy has gotten better (6.12), not to mention the dot ball percentage of 64 in the phase.
The Titans have given the experienced campaigner a specific role of attacking with the new ball early on before coming back for an over or two in the middle and death. And the thing about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in whatever little we have seen so far is that he hardly ceases to make the most of an attacking opportunity with the ball. As a tactician, he always seems to go for wickets, irrespective of situations.
On Tuesday, too, he did exactly that after watching what Shami did with the ball. If Shami’s first ball of the game was a half volley hit straight to the fielder to get rid of Phil Salt, he followed it up a good length delivery angling across Rilee Rossouw, with the ball taking his outside edge on its way to Wriddhiman Saha’s gloves.
Pandya persisted with Shami and the pacer delivered a double-wicket over. First, an outswinger that got rid of Manish Pandey, thanks to a full-blooded dive from Saha. Then another full delivery on the channel outside off stump. With enough seeds of doubts in his head, Priyam Garg pushed at it only to edge it to Saha. Pandya would let Shami rip for another over, completing his quota in the seventh over.
Capitals would recover to 130/8, and defend the total, securing a five-run win. But it was yet another day where Shami showed the world why he is one of the most potent new ball bowlers going around. Brief scores: DC 130/8 in 20 ovs (Aman 51; Shami 4/11) bt GT 125/6 in 20 ovs (Hardik 59 n.o; Ishant 2/23, Khaleel 2/24).