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‘I am Not Going to Play Forever’ – Mohammed Shami Wants to Mentor Young India Pacers Before Retiring

Written by Vipin Darwade

Mohammed Shami is gearing up for the high-profile tour of England with the IPL 2021 being suspended for the time being. Being not only one of the most seniormost bowlers but also one of the richly experienced members of the Indian cricket team, Shami hopes to impart the knowledge he has gained so far in his professional career to the upcoming youngsters.

“‘It comes automatically as after being in international cricket for so many years, I would like to share any input that the youngsters may want. I am not going to play forever, so it will be great if I can pass on something to the youngsters,’’ Shami told Gulf News in an interview.

India have had a terrific time in Test cricket in recent months that began with the tour of Australia from where they returned with a series win. At home, they then defeated England 3-1 and are currently the top-ranked Test team in the world.

Now, they will face New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship next month before locking horns with England in a five-match series as well. Shami reckons the team has the capability to enjoy the success on English shores as well.

“‘We have played some extraordinary cricket in recent times as an unit and naturally, the confidence level is high on the eve of our departure for England. If we can reproduce some of the form which we did over last six months, I am confident it will be a great summer for us,’” Shami hoped.

The coronavirus pandemic has made Shami a bit wiser as far as planning his career concerned. He doesn’t plan long-term now and prefers to take one series at a time.

“See, there is no point in planning too much as certain things are not in our control. Who would have thought that the pandemic would virtually destroy two years of our lives – hence I prefer to take it by each series or tournament as the case may be,’” he said.

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Vipin Darwade