Shami primes himself for Champions Trophy

Mohammed Shami, since returning from an injury layoff, is still getting into his groove. He wishes to make the best use of Delhi Daredevils's last game and the upcoming training sessions to be at his best for the Champions Trophy.

Mohammed Shami, since returning from an injury layoff, has played seven IPL games for Delhi Daredevils and has taken five wickets.

India pacer Mohammed Shami said it is important for him to make the most of the last Indian Premier League (IPL) game and the upcoming practice sessions to be ready for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy in England.

Shami, since returning from an injury layoff, has played seven IPL games for Delhi Daredevils and has taken five wickets.

Against Rising Pune Supergiant on Friday night, Shami took two wickets and ran Mahendra Singh Dhoni out.

“Definitely, the more you play after coming from an injury, the better it is for your rhythm. You get confidence out of that. So, I am looking to make the most of upcoming game and practice sessions to lift my confidence as high as I can,” said Shami.

Talking about his run out of Dhoni, Shami said: “Yes, it was a game changer. I just went for it knowing Mahi bhai   is quick between the wickets and it just clicked.”

The Daredevils, already out of the play-off race, defeated Supergiant by seven runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

Asked to reflect on the team’s disappointing IPL campaign this season, he said: “Our start was bad. We lost too many games initially. We got better in the middle stages and now there is simply nothing to lose.”

Daredevils play Royal Challengers Bangalore in a dead rubber here on Sunday.

Meanwhile Supergiant’s Manoj Tiwary was disappointed about not taking his team home, despite a fighting 60 off 45 balls.

Needing 52 off the last 30 balls with seven wickets in hand, the visiting team was expected to reach home comfortably.

“I take full responsibility for the defeat. I should have taken the team home since I was the set batsman,” said Tiwary.

“It was not easy to bat in the second innings. The ball was gripping a bit, especially when the spinners were bowling,” he said.

He also lashed out at critics of Dhoni, who think the former Indian captain is past his prime.

“He is still the best we have. So I don’t understand where this criticism comes from. Even in the game today, you saw he took a one handed catch. We should look at the future but not at the cost of present. I feel he still has a lot of cricket left in him,” added Tiwary.