Mohammed Shami speaks after his performance against NZ in ODI WC 2023

Mohammed Shami played a key role in India's win against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2023. In Dharamshala, Shami picked a 5-wicket haul and helped India to bowl out New Zealand to a total of just 273 runs in 50 overs. The spell of Shami helped India to win the match by 4 wickets with 2 overs to spare. Interestingly, Shami was not picked in the first 4 matches of the tournament.

Against New Zealand, Shami climbed up the charts in the list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in the ODI World Cup. Shami has 36 wickets in the tournament, which is the third-highest for an Indian bowler. The right-arm pacer has the best bowling average and best bowling strike rate for a bowler in the history of the tournament. After the match, Shami spoke to the media.

"When you are not playing, it is very difficult. But if your team is performing, and your boys are moving in a rhythm, then I don’t think you should feel guilty sitting outside. Because you are also a part of the team and a part of the World Cup. I think everyone should enjoy each other’s success. I keep my outlook as – you keep enjoying," said Shami.

'By being positive and enjoying, I feel you will get more results' - Mohammed Shami

Shami felt that one must enjoy each other's success and acknowledged how difficult it is for the players to be in the Indian team. "Because in India the biggest sport is cricket. The biggest place is the place where you are sitting. It’s not necessary to be there (in the playing XI). You have 15 players. Four of them have to stay out. So, by being positive and enjoying, I feel you will get more results," added Shami. 

"When you play continuous matches, recovery becomes very important. But you think, or the outside world thinks, that cricketers get separated when they rest for eight days. That’s not true. Cricketers can’t be separated because you always want to be better and better. There’s never an off," concluded Shami.