In the second ODI match against New Zealand on Saturday in Raipur, Mohammed Shami once again proved his bowling caliber. He had a dangerous bowling partnership with Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya, taking three wickets in total. At one point, New Zealand was down to 15/5 thanks to the power of the Indian bowlers. The Indian squad chased down the Blackcaps’ 108-run total in 20.1 overs. India now has an unbeatable 2-0 lead over New Zealand in their three-match series.
At a press conference after the game, Shami was questioned about Team India’s preparations for the ODI World Cup, which will be contested in India later this year.
Replying to the reporter’s question, Shami said, “Dekhiye, mujhe nahi lagta logo ko abhi tak doubt hai Indian team ke upar. Aapko itne acche results diye hai 4-6 saalo mei. Agar uske baad bhi aapko doubt hai, ya aap World Cup ke liye sochte hai…bahut lamba time hai. Toh humare pass bahut series hai, practice karne ke liye, match khelne ke liye. Aur players ko jaan ne ke liye. Toh abhi humare pass time hai toh behetar hoga ki hum match-to-match jaaye. (See, I don’t think people have doubt over the Indian team. We have been giving good results in past 4-6 years. If still have any doubts, we have a lot of time left for the World Cup. We have many series for match practice. We have more time to know players. We have time so it’s better to take it match-to-match).”
Talking about the game, India won the match by eight wickets where captain Rohit Sharma scored a classy fifty whereas Shubman Gill got 40* runs with his bat. With this win, India is now up in the series 2-0 with one match more to go on 24th January at Holkar Stadium, Indore.
