New Delhi, March 3: India captain Virat Kohli looks extremely happy with the senior paceman Mohammed Shami's transformation. The UP-born speedster has been in phenomenal form in the last 12-14 months and has also regained his lost touch in the limited-overs format since Australia tour.
Shami had a tumultuous 2018, off the field, and came back strongly by overcoming all the odds and he's also aiming for a flight to England as the third seaming option in the team alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Shami was in sensational touch in the first ODI between India and Australia in Hyderabad in which he returned with 44 for 2 from his quota of 10 overs. It was the Bengal pacer's sensational work with the white ball that restricted the Aussies to a below par 236.
India captain Kohli on Sunday posted a selfie with the Amroha pacer and termed the latter as 'lean mean pace machine' as the team headed to Nagpur for the second ODI.
"Nagpur next. ✈️ With the lean mean pace machine @MdShami11," Kohli captioned the selfie with Shami that he shared on his Twitter handle.
Nagpur next. ✈️ With the lean mean pace machine @MdShami11 🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/LoQP1OtKYd
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 3, 2019
After India defeated Australia in the first ODI in Hyderabad, Kohli praised his bowlers for restricting the tourists to a low total and commended Shami for working on his fitness and shedding some weight.
Not just Kohli, even Australia paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile praised Shami for creating the initial pressure on Aussie batsmen.
"Excellent bowler. He is a fantastic bowler. He is quality everywhere. At the back-end, he was really hard to get away, changed up well, nailed all his yorkers, didn't give me anything to hit," Coulter-Nile said.
Departure to Nagpur with record machine @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/ivUimqQ9Va
— Mohammad Shami (@MdShami11) March 3, 2019
While talking about his transformation in the limited-overs Shami told the broadcasters, "I have been through a lot of ups and down in my life. Cricket has made my life and I want to give my best for my team. I speak to experienced cricketers whenever I need some advice. I was very heavy around 93 kilograms after coming back from injury and I have worked hard to reduce my weight. Thanks to everyone who have pushed me to reduce my weight."