Consider myself fortunate to be playing under MS Dhoni's captaincy: Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami

Auckland, March 13 (IANS) Mohammed Shami, India's most successful fast bowler in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, on Friday, credited skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the success he has enjoyed since his entry into international cricket.

Shami has taken 12 wickets from the 4 matches he has played so far in the tournament. He was the wrecker-in-chief against Pakistan, taking 4-35 from his 9 overs. He followed it up with two wickets for 30 runs against South Africa.

He was lethal against the West Indies too, with three wickets to his credit. He was rested during the match against the United Arab Emirates due to a slight injury and came back with a bang by removing four batsmen in India’s previous game against the Irish.

"I like the way he handles the team and handles me as a bowler. I am always free and I have never been tensed when he has captained the side," Shami told media persons at the pre-match press conference ahead of their Pool B game against Zimbabwe at Eden Park on Saturday.

"He is someone who has always told me about my mistakes and asked me not to repeat them in the future."

Elaborating further on Dhoni, the 25-year-old cricketer from Bengal said his captain has always been the one who would support him and help him work on the things that have gone wrong.

"He never gets angry. He will tell you things very calmly and handle the situation well which helps a bowler. The support of the captain and backing of your captain despite making mistakes is very important and he does that," he said.

"It has been a plus point for me that I have played and made my debut under him. When I was playing domestic cricket, I used to think about what I would talk to the seniors when I reach the international level.

"When I came to the international level, I felt a lot more comfortable than the domestic level. This is the confidence that has helped me thus far and I will try to take it forward."

Asked how he dealt with the ups and downs of the game, Shami said, "I would like to believe that till now I haven't had that bad a patch that I could think about."

"Whenever I go through a rough patch or a bad day, I go back to my room and think about my mistakes," he added.

"Or I talk to my captain and teammates and ask for suggestions from them on how to get better. I try to rectify the mistakes in my practice sessions and I become alright."

On Saturday's game against Zimbabwe, the right-armer believes winning the game is of prime importance.

"Irrespective of the opposition, we always look to win games. Cricket is a game of uncertainties and we always look to play the way we have been playing till now and it will be no different against Zimbabwe," he said.

Zimbabwe are just one of the stops in their journey to the ultimate goal. Shami and the others have their eyes set on the coveted World Cup trophy and that in itself is a big motivation towards striving for success.

"Winning the World cup in itself is a huge motivation for us. All eyes are on the World Cup and everyone has a lot of expectations from us. The focus is to win the Cup come what may," he concluded.