Shami’s ascent to World Cup greatness
Having a bowling average of 15.71 in World Cups, the best among all bowlers with at least 20 wickets in the showpiece event, should be enough to guarantee a player a place in the teamsheet in every match.
But in the case of Mohammed Shami, it wasn't.
The 33-year-old pacer was left out of the first four matches of the tournament. The reason for his omission was tactical, as the Indian think tank wanted someone who could chip in with the bat at number eight and hence chose Shardul Thakur over Shami.
However, not getting picked regularly in World Cup matches in spite of his good record is nothing new for the pacer.
In the previous World Cup in 2019, Shami was picked in only four out of India's 10 games.
He made most of his limited chances, claiming 14 wickets which included a five-wicket haul against eventual champions England.
It seemed that Shami would have warmed the benches for most of this World Cup after the pacer got overlooked in India's first four matches
But all that changed after India's match against Bangladesh in Pune, where all-rounder Hardik Pandya's ill-fated attempt to block a straight drive from Tanzid Hasan Tamim with his foot opened the doors for Shami as India opted for a wicket-taker in the aftermath.
He has featured in all six of India's matches since then, bagging 23 wickets to sit at the top of the wicket-takers' list in the tournament.
Shami's stats in this World Cup have been staggering to say the least as the quick on average has struck in every 11 deliveries and has conceded a little over nine runs for each wicket.
Shami's wicket-taking spree has taken him to number six in the all-time World Cup wicket-takers' list, just one wicket behind the great Wasim Akram, having played 21 matches less than the Pakistani left-arm seamer.
Seeing Shami surpassing himself in World Cups with every appearance, it's hard to believe how close the right-armer was from calling it quits almost five years back.
In 2018, Shami had hit rock-bottom. His personal life was in disarray after his now estranged wife filed a case against him and he lost his place in the India squad after failing a fitness test.
Shami told the then Indian team director Ravi Shastri that he was seriously contemplating quitting the game entirely. Shastri convinced him not to retire and instead redirect all his frustration towards improving his game.
The pep talk did the trick as it didn't take Shami too long before he returned to the India squad and quickly became one of the go-to pacers in all three formats.
Three years later, Shami faced a different sort of challenge when he became the target of disgruntled Indian fans on social media after India's 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup.
Shami had a bad day at the office, like all the other Indian bowlers. But the treatment he received off the field was exclusive.
The outside noise was loud enough that the team's captain Virat Kohli came out in his support, blasting the online trolls.
But all these challenges only strengthened Shami's resolve and fueled him on his way to becoming a World Cup great.