India had a tough start to the first Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday. With skipper Joe Root scoring a half century and leading from the front, the hosts saw themselves sitting at 216/3 in the final session. But a delightful throw from India skipper Virat Kohli, that dismissed Root for 80, changed the script. England lost 6 wickets for 69 runs in the final session and finished with 285/9 at Stumps on Day 1. Speaking on the day’s proceedings, seamer Mohammed Shami credited India bowling attack for bouncing back on tough conditions.
“As you have seen the wicket is a little slower, there is hard work for sure, we have to maintain good line and length all day. It was a little tough initially because it was slow and a little damp. As the day went on, the wicket came good. As a bowling unit we have stopped them well from 216-3, you can see what we have done,” the 28-year old said.
Shami, who faced a series of problems off the field in the past few months, that saw him missing out on most of the IPL 2018 season, said his passion for cricket helped him get back to a positive frame of mind and return to the sport.
“(The tour of) South Africa was a long time ago and there have been some off-field issues after that. I had to fight a lot in between but my effort was that I have to keep doing what I love most and what is most important to me (cricket). I wanted to just keep doing my job and then see what happens to the rest of the stuff in my life. Whatever difficulties I face, first I wanted to play cricket and keep doing it. The result is in front of us,” the seamer said.
“As a bowling unit and as an individual, I am very happy today. This is the thing I have worked hard for and we have been able to bring it forward successfully. There are ups and downs in life and in your family. But when playing for your country there is a responsibility and when you do that job properly, I think that’s the best thing. So I am very happy with today,” he added.
Shami, who was returning to the Test side after the South Africa tour in January, took two wickets, dismissing Keaton Jennings and Dawid Malan in quick succession.
