Mohammed Shami may not be part of India’s current squad in any format, but he remains one of the country’s greatest fast bowlers. During his international career, Shami has played under several head coaches, including Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri, Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir .
Now, the veteran pacer has revealed who his favourite coach is and also opened up about the biggest regret of his cricket career.
Who is Mohammed Shami’s favourite India coach?
In an exclusive interview with Times Now Navbharat, Shami named Ravi Shastri as his favourite coach.
The fast bowler said Shastri always gave players the freedom to express themselves on the field. According to Shami, that freedom helped players play with confidence and aggression.
Shami said he enjoyed working with Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble as well. He also said he has not played enough under current head coach Gautam Gambhir to compare him with the others.
‘It’s difficult to compare. I haven’t played much under Gauti bhai. I spent good time with Rahul bhai and Anil bhai. But if I have to choose one, I would choose Ravi bhai because of the freedom and aggression he brought into the team,’ Shami said.
Why does Shami rate Ravi Shastri so highly?
Shami believes Ravi Shastri created an environment where players were encouraged to play fearless cricket.
He said the aggressive mindset and confidence shown by the Indian team during Shastri’s tenure reflected the coach’s approach.
According to Shami, that freedom helped players give their best in pressure situations.
What is the biggest regret of Mohammed Shami’s career?
Although Shami has achieved many milestones, he said the biggest regret of his career is India’s defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
The experienced pacer said personal records do not matter to him because India could not lift the trophy.
He admitted that the painful loss is still fresh in his mind.
‘The only regret I have is that we should have won the final. Records don’t matter to me. That picture is still in my mind,’ he said.
How did Shami perform in the 2023 ODI World Cup?
Shami had one of the greatest World Cup campaigns by any fast bowler.
Despite playing only seven matches, he finished as the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets, setting the record for the most wickets by a bowler in a single ODI World Cup edition.
His brilliant performances helped India reach the final, but the team fell short of winning the title.
What else does Shami regret?
Shami also said injuries forced him to miss several matches in ICC tournaments over the years.
He believes that if he had played all those matches, he could have finished with even more wickets and stronger records in World Cup history.
However, he repeated that team success is far more important than personal achievements.
Even after an outstanding international career, Shami says lifting the ODI World Cup trophy would have meant much more than any individual record. His comments once again show how deeply the 2023 World Cup final loss continues to affect him.