India vs South Africa: “Was Dropped For Not Passing Fitness Test,” Says Former Team India Batting Coach Sanjay Bangar About Mohammed Shami’s Stunning Comeback

Mohammed Shami has been a bowler on a mission ever since making his international comeback. His form, especially in red-ball cricket, has been outstanding to say the least. On Tuesday, Shami registered a 5-wicket haul during day 3 of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion, which saw him become the 11th Indian bowler and the fifth paceman to complete 200 wickets in Test cricket. Shami was lauded by the cricket fraternity for reaching the landmark.

His efforts have put India in the driver’s seat in the first match of the series. Shami’s average and strike-rate are the best among all Indian fast bowlers, who have played more than 50 Test matches.

One man, who has seen Shami turn into a force in international cricket from close quarters is former Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar. Bangar was part of the coaching staff during Shami’s rise and on Tuesday he shared an interesting story about how the paceman overcame fitness issues to become one of India’s finest bowlers across formats.

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“He is somebody who Virat values quite a bit because cometh the hour cometh the man, that’s what Mohammed Shami has been for the Indian team. Ever since he has come back fitter because he was dropped for not passing the fitness test at some point,” Bangar said on host broadcaster Star Sports.

“He is got stronger in his legs. His run-up is rhythmical. He is running nicely. And whenever you see Mohammed Shami running in that sort of a rhythm, you know that wickets are not going to be far away. If he comes close to the stumps, attacks the stumps all the time and with that upright seam, the ball can dart both ways, causing lot of problems for any batsman,” he added.