Mohammad Shami says that he has learnt to bowl in overseas conditions

Indian speedster Mohammad Shami said that he has now learnt to bowl in overseas conditions by watching the videos of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Shami had a put up a decent show in South Africa before being clouded by personal problems but he has been one of India’s best bowlers in the ongoing five-match Test series against England so far, having ended up with 16 wickets from five games.

If you compare my performances on this tour with those in 2014, I have improved a lot. Overall, all of us have done well. I’ve learnt a lot, especially how to bowl away from home, how focused you need to be,” said Shami, as quoted by The Indian Express.

“I’ve got to learn a lot. In 2014 when I came here, I wasn’t that experienced. I wasn’t mature either. This time, I watched videotapes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s bowling. I saw what areas they bowled in, in these conditions. I’ve got to learn a lot,” he further added.

Despite having given his best, Shami failed to find any success whatsoever in the first innings having beaten Moeen Ali’s bat a number of times. He had figures of 2/110 in the second innings.

“Some things depend on luck too. When you bowl, your target is to bowl a good line and length. Whether you get a wicket or not depends on luck. Of course, it is frustrating that I beat the bat many times and still didn’t get a wicket. But it’s okay. Whatever God gives me, I have to accept,” he said.

When asked as to how does he judge his overall performance in the tour so far, he said, “The saddest time is when as a bowler you work hard and don’t succeed. The saddest time will be the first innings yesterday. I’ve never beaten the bat so many times in my life.

“When it comes to fun, all of our players like to joke around with each other. We have fun all the time. When you’re on the field, you have to be serious. But off the field, to pass the time or ease the pressure, you need fun and music. We have both in our camp, “the Bengal pacer added.

Ishant Sharma’s ankle-pain in England’s second innings didn’t help India’s cause at all as the captain Virat Kohli had just four main bowlers to use throughout the day. This, without a doubt, was an extra burden to Shami and co, despite debutant Hanuma Vihari chipping in with three wickets.

Said Shami, “It’s hard when you’re a bowler short, and especially in these conditions when as a fast bowler you have to bowl. The load is greater. But it’s not a big deal. It happens. Sometimes bowlers feel discomfort or in order to prevent injury, you go off. It’s fine. The understanding between us bowlers is good,”