Comeback man Shami out to prove a point

“It’s a very good pace attack. I would say, it is one of the best pace attacks. We have to back each other as an unit. Peaking at the right time will be the key,” Shami said.

The speedster went out of action soon after, following a back injury.

It’s been a couple of years since Mohammad Shami donned the India colours in an ODI. That was in the semifinal of the World Cup and India were handed a humiliating defeat by Australia.

The speedster went out of action soon after, following a back injury. What looked like just another mere injury turned career-threatening for Shami and there were serious question marks about his future.

Rohit, Shami return in India's Champions Trophy squad

But overcoming the odds, the medium pacer is back in business and has been named in the India side that travels to England for the Champions Trophy later this month. Coming back into the scheme of things after a hiatus, Shami is out to prove a point. “It’s good to be back after two years. Two year is a long time. After injury, the focus has been to work on my weaknesses. I have lost weight. I hope to perform my best at the Champions Trophy,” he said on Monday, adding that that he wants to start from where he left two years back.

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In an interview with the franchise’s media team, the Delhi Daredevils pacer agrees that the Indian Premier League (IPL) outing has helped him get back into match groove. “I will get a few more matches here, and that will help me. The IPL has been a good platform to warm up,” he said.

During his stint with the Delhi outfit, Shami has made it a point to speak to Delhi Daredevils captain Zaheer Khan about how to strike back. “I speak to Zaheer bhai everyday at the nets. I also spoke to quite a few former players, and have learnt a lot of things. Sessions with Zaheer bhai has also helped,” he added.

While the social media went abuzz with the choice of bowlers, Shami feels this is one of India’s best pace attack. “It’s a very good pace attack. I would say, it is one of the best pace attacks. We have to back each other as an unit. Peaking at the right time will be the key,” he said, making it clear that defending champion India has a bright change of winning the Champions Trophy again. “We can win it. We will put in more than 100 per cent effort,” the speedster said.