Top gun

Indian pacer Md. Shami has taken 200 international Test wickets in the ongoing Test series against South Africa on Tuesday. He became the fifth Indian pacer to claim 200 wickets. Shami took five wickets in the first innings of the first Test match to reach this milestone.  

An emotional Shami dedicated his 200th Test wicket to his father, who passed away in 2017.

The way Shami has progressed in his career is an inspiration for many aspiring cricketers. Coming from a very small town and bracing many issues, is indeed an inspiration for us. His injury and family issues had broken him completely at one point of time.

We thought his career was over, but the way he has returned to the cricket world is something unbelievable. He has worked very hard physically and mentally to achieve this milestone. He deserves full praise for his return to the cricket ground with a bang. Shami has become a go-to-bowler for Team India across all formats.

Even he has proved his worth in the shorter format of the game like IPL.

Younger players should take inspiration from him for his dedication and hard work.

Credit also goes to former Indian coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arum who shaped him to be what and where he is. Both of them deserve praise for bringing Shami back on the international level. It was something of an impossible task to pull Shami back from where he had gone.

His fans and Team India have lots of hope from the pacer. We wish him a glorious career and hope he can leave many more such milestones behind.

Pooja Francis
By email