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Former Indian pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji lauded Mohammed Shami’s impressive performance in the ICC ODI World Cup events. Balaji’s comments came ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, which will see Shami leading the Indian attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who will miss the tournament due to a back injury.
Notably, Shami is India’s most successful bowler in the ODI World Cup history with 55 wickets in 18 games. He returned with 24 scalps in the 2023 World Cup and helped the Indian team to reach the final. The right-arm pacer produced his finest figures of 7/57 against New Zealand in the semi-final game.
Although, Lakshmipathy Balaji feels Jasprit Bumrah’s absence will hurt India, he remains confident of Mohammed Shami helping India secure consistent breakthroughs in the Champions Trophy.
“Actually, he (Shami) had out-bowled Bumrah in the 2019 (50-over World Cup) and in the last World Cup (2023). Bumrah is the champion bowler across formats. But Shami has experience and, before Bumrah’s arrival, it was Shami who carried India’s attack all through,” Balaji said, speaking to PTI.
The 43-year-old also opined that Shami’s abilities with the new ball will be crucial for the Indian team’s success in the showpiece event.
“I think it’s very important. If India has to do well, then Shami has to come good with the new ball. The kind of impact he can make in his first six overs with the new ball, it will play a crucial role for India,” Balaji added.
It is worth noting that Mohammed Shami made a competitive return after one year in November 2024. He played domestic games for Bengal and returned to play for India in January 2025. Since then, he has played four white-ball games and picked up five wickets.
There has been doubts whether the veteran pacer would be able to take up the bowling workload and help India win games on his own in the Champions Trophy. However, Balaji feels the experience of facing setbacks will help Shami get back on track soon.
“He has the experience to get over it and he will do it as he bowls more. It’s just about accepting the (physical) condition and continuing his best practices,” Balaji added.
Balaji feels Dubai surface will help Mohammed Shami in Champions Trophy
Lakshmipathy Balaji also noted that the Dubai surface will assist Mohammed Shami in the Champions Trophy 2025. Notably. the Men in Blue will play all games in Dubai, after a hybrid venue agreement with Pakistan.
Balaji thinks the bowling style of Shami, which revolves around him sticking to the stumps, might help in fetching more wickets in the tournament.
“He keeps attacking the stumps, a quality that is very critical in a place like Dubai, where batters may get a little bit more assistance,” Balaji said.
The former Indian pacer also credited Mohammed Shami’s immaculate wrist positions, which help him to enjoy success with the new ball.
“Shami has one of the best wrist positions in the game, helping him bring all of his variations. See, conditions in Dubai will more or less be similar to India, so he just needs to follow his methods there,” he added.
