Mohammed Shami: A promising cricketing career that stands on the crossroads

The city of Ranchi may have played a small role in the history of Indian cricket so far, but for one cricketer, the place will hold a special place in his heart.

Midway through the ODI series against Australia in 2013, India were in a transfixed state over whether to persist with Ishant Sharma for the remainder of the series.

They opted not to and in place of him, brought in a bowler who had impressed but not yet taken the world by storm.

Shami Ahmed, the name he was known by, at the time, was drafted into the side for the fourth ODI at the JSCA stadium and the Bengal pacer made the sort of impact that made everyone stand up and take notice, claiming three wickets in the opening Powerplay to leave the visitors reeling.

A few weeks later, it was the turn of the West Indies to fall to the Shami effect as the paceman ran through them on debut at his home turf to announce his arrival on the Test stage.

While he may not have had outings to remember on his maiden trips to South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia, the pacer did enough for him to remain one of the few permanent members in the side.

A successful 2015 World Cup was overshadowed by a lay-off due to injury for over a year.

Since comeback, however, Shami has bowled like a man obsessed to make up for lost time.

29 Test wickets in 10 matches in 2016 was backed by 19 in five games in 2017 and 15 so far in three matches in 2018.

But right now, at this very present moment, the pacer has different issues to settle, ones that could have a massive bearing on his cricketing future.

Accused by his wife of having cheated on her, Shami now finds himself in a bigger soup, with charges labelled against him of domestic violence and attempt to murder, some of them being non-bailable.

While the cricketer has denied the cheating allegations levied on him, the fact remains that his journey as a cricketer has already hit a halt, after the BCCI did not include his name in any of the four contract categories, released earlier this week, opting to withhold it.

Striking the right balance

Anyone who has followed Indian cricket and continues to do so will know that the life of a cricketer off the field is sometimes more delicate to controversies than on the field.

An incident involving him on the ground could lead to a deduction in match fee or a suspension, but any mention of his name for the wrong reasons away from it always has larger ramifications on his career.

There have been players in the past who have faced the brunt, but examples also exist who have found the balance and stayed away from controversies from all corners.

Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble are names which come to mind of men who played and left the game with dignity stamped on them.

That now would be Shami's biggest challenge: That if not found guilty, how he looks to restore his image and how he handles the sharp comments that are bound to come his way.

Some sections in the Indian fan base can be few of the meanest critics, looking to pounce on anything and everything that would talk about the cricketer in poor light.

While players in modern times stay away largely from reading newspapers and watching television, under such a scenario, it would be difficult for even the biggest recluse to not be bothered by what is being spoken.

What next for Shami?

While nothing yet seems confirmed on his existing controversy, it does look like Shami's participation in the Indian Premier League(IPL) for the Delhi Daredevils might be affected.

By the time Afghanistan arrives for a one-off Test and India travel for a lengthy tour of the Old Blighty post that, it remains to be the twists and turns the case might have taken.

What might work against him is that the BCCI at the moment can do precious little to get him out of the mess, he finds himself in. While a discussion will take place, it is a matter of waiting and watching as to what the final verdict is.

How he gets out of it and returns to the fold remains to be seen.

For now, the career of one of India's most promising cricketers, one who has almost always spoken more with the ball in hand than his mouth when he is haring in and whipping the cherry, stands on the hinges.

For how long, none knows.