Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami’s Early Life

Shami was born on September 3, 1990, in the village of Sahaspur in Amroha, where he spent his childhood. He grew up with four siblings, and his father, Tauseef Ali, was a farmer then and a fast bowler in his youth. After Shami turned 15, he signed up under Badruddin Siddique, a cricket coach stationed 22km away.

Siddique noticed Shami’s potential and advised his parents to send him to Kolkata. Shami then began to practice with used balls to ace the reverse swing tactic, a skill he is now lauded for. He went to Kolkata in 2005, and Debabrata Das, a former assistant secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal, invited him to join his club, Town Club. Shortly after, he joined the Bengal under-22 team.

Shami then entered the Mohun Bagan Cricket Club, which increased his chances of making it big. He faced his former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly in the Eden Gardens nets, and with Ganguly’s help, Shami joined the Bengal squad in the 2010–11 Ranji Trophy.

Mohammed Shami’s International Career

During Shami’s Test debut in November 2013, he took nine wickets for 118 runs. It set a record for the most wickets by an Indian pacer on debut. His third match in the 2014–15 Border Gavaskar Trophy series marked his fastest pace of 153.2 km/h. After achieving several milestones, he was ruled out of the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a fracture on his arm.

During the India-South Africa 2021–23 Test series, Shami became the fifth Indian pacer to score 200 wickets in Test cricket. His highest score is recorded to be 56 during the 2021–22 ICC World Test Championship, helping India win against England. In early 2013, he made his ODI debut and became a star player in the limited-overs format. However, his susceptibility to injury and inconsistency is his biggest shortcoming to date.

Cricket Positioning

Mohammed Shami’s IPL Career

Shami’s IPL career kicked off with the Kolkata Knight Riders. After an exceptional debut, the Delhi Daredevils took him for INR 4.25 crores in 2014.  Since Shami was an expensive player plagued with injuries, the Delhi Daredevils decided to release him ahead of the 2019 season. Subsequently the Kings XI Punjab snagged him for INR 4.8 crores. He became Punjab's leading wicket-taker for three seasons straight. Despite his unbeatable performance, the team released him, and he joined the Gujarat Titans, for INR 6.25 crores ahead of the 2022 auctions.

Mohammed Shami’s International Achievements

Shami’s impressive domestic records paved the way for a promising career in international cricket. Some of his notable achievements are listed below!

Test Cricket

    In his test match debut in 2013, Shami amassed nine wickets, the highest number by an Indian fast bowler on debut.
    In December 2021, he became the third-fastest Indian bowler to take 200 Test wickets in the least number of throws

ODI Cricket

    On March 5, 2014, Shami completed 50 ODI wickets making him the second-fastest Indian bowler to achieve the feat
    In January 2019, Shami became the fastest Indian pacer to amass 100 ODI wickets
    In a World Cup match in June 2019, Shami scored a hat-trick and became the second Indian to have done so
    He took the highest number of wickets in 2019
    In January 2022, his strike-rate reached the 10th all-time career-high
    He has the most number of consecutive four wickets scored in an innings to his credit

Mohammed Shami’s Personal Life

Mohammed Shami married Hasin Jahan on June 6, 2014. However, their marriage invited controversy when Jahan accused Shami and his family of attempted murder, domestic violence, and adultery in March 2018. Shami refuted all claims stating he would not let external disturbances affect his career.

Nevertheless, the couple welcomed their first daughter Aariah Shami in July 2015. In February 2022, their second daughter was born.

Mohammed Shami’s Net Worth

Mohammad Shami’s net worth is estimated to be $3.9million as of February 2022. He derives his income from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for playing cricket matches. He also has multiple brand endorsements, such as Stanford, Nike, OctaFX, and Blitspools. He currently earns around INR 7 crores per annum.

Mohammed Shami’s Other Interests

He likes to travel and watch movies.