From Shami Ahmed to Mohammad Shami, an inspirational journey!

Each and every player of the current Indian cricket team has significantly contributed to reaching the ICC World Cup finals. However, Mohammad Shami, who took seven wickets including Daryl Mitchell and NZ captain Kane Williamson, is an exceptional one! Now, taking at least 5 wickets in World Cup matches four times is something not everyone would understand.

 

 

The fact he was picked in the 15-member squad but had to wait for his chance on the bench for the first four matches of the team. But as they say ‘life has different plans for everyone, and someone’s disappointment could be an opportunity for another’. Though many felt Hardik Pandya's injury was a concern, it was a blessing in disguise for Mohammad Shami and for fans, too!

 

 

Things started awkwardly for Shami as BCCI got his name wrong and it took him at least three years to tell the world they got his name wrong. The reason - he was too shy! According to a tweet, "In the comm box, Akram says "I've been working with him for 2 yrs and he's ready to make his India debut." Even he refers to him as Shami Ahmed which Shami later said was never his name and was a mistake by BCCI."

 

 

 

A few years ago, the Indian pacer made a shocking revelation where he confessed that he contemplated suicide as many as three times when he was going through a massive low in both his personal and professional life. It may be recalled that in March 2018, Shami’s wife Hasin Jahan accused the cricketer of abuse, harassment, and match-fixing, and also filed a complaint against the cricketer and his family, alleging they tried to kill her by giving her a heavy dose of sleeping pills. Shami was in the news for all the wrong reasons. His BCCI contract was under radar as he was being interrogated by the cops in connection with the criminal case filed by his wife against him.

 

Things even went worse when he faced online abuses on multiple occasions especially after Pakistan won against India by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup. He was trolled based on his religion. He slammed the trolls saying that those who disrespect a player based on his religion can never be true fans of the game or real Indians!

 

“There is no cure for this kind of thinking. Those who troll (on religion) are not real fans, nor are they real Indians. If you consider a player as a hero and then behave this way, you are not being an Indian supporter. And I feel one should not get hurt by comments made by such people," Shami was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

 

“We know what we are, we don’t need to say what India means to us because we represent the country and we fight for our country. So we don’t need to prove anything to anyone by saying or reacting to such trolls," Shami had said.

 

 

He has battled against several injuries, personal accusations, trolls, and whatnot. But he kept fighting and look what he become now despite all the odds thrown at him! So, remember the name - Mohammad Shami!