EXCLUSIVE: Mohammed Shami Weighs in on Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam Debate, Gives his Verdict

In an exclusive interview with india.com, India pacer Mohammed Shami spoke at length regarding Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, Ravi Shastri's impact on Team India and how Bharat Arun helped the bowling unit become a cohesive unit.

New Delhi Mohammed Shami Exclusive Interview:  The India fast bowler reckons that Virat Kohli’s consistency over a period of time along with Joe Root and Steve Smith is what makes them such big names and while there is no doubt on the fact that Babar Azam is a great player for Pakistan but to compare him with the likes of Kohli, Root or Smith is a little unfair and a little too early.

While speaking exclusively to india.com Shami said, “Pakistan have been playing very good cricket of late and the emergence of three-four players have really helped them a lot. No doubt Babar Azam is a great player. But to compare him with the likes of Steve Smith, Joe Root or Virat Kohli will be unfair on him. I would say let him play for that many years and then maybe we can judge. At the moment, if he continues to play like that, then he would obviously end his career as one of the greats from Pakistan. Good luck Babar Azam, I would say.”

Mohammed Shami Interview: Speaking on the role former India head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun played during their tenure, Shami said that while Shastri’s positivity rubbed on the team, Arun was meticulous in the bowling plans that helped the team a lot.

Shami on former India head coach Ravi Shastri: “Everybody knows about Ravi Shastri’s pep talk and he speaks just like you see him in the commentary box. There is not an iota of negativity in Ravi Shastri. His positivity rubbed on to the team and that is something that stood out for me,” added Shami.

Shami on Bharat Arun bowling coach of India: “It was great working with Bharat Arun when he was the bowling coach of India. At the international level, there is not much to learn in terms of the basics. It was all about discussing bowling plans and he shared his views and it worked really well for us and the team,” he said.

There was a lot of criticism regarding India’s lower-order batting in the past but things have certainly improved in the past year with crucial contributions coming from Shami and Bumrah, most notably the partnership at Lord’s that helped India get to a commanding position. A lot of eyebrows were raised regarding Shami’s inability to play the short ball with the player even being subjected to a lot of social media trolls. But he let the bat do the talking.

Mohammed Shami About His Batting: “Let me tell you something. I was never scared of the short ball as many people thought it to be. I have always enjoyed my batting and I do try to contribute as much as possible with the bat and help the team. If I was scared of the short ball, I wouldn’t have scored that half-century at Lord’s. So I don’t think much about it,” the 31-year-old concluded.