Nagpur: Star India pacer made his return to international cricket after a gap of 14 months when he featured in the T20I series against England recently. India are all set to play a three-match ODI series now against England and Shami will play a key role in the bowling unit as well. With Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Shami who picked three wickets in the third T20I against England will spearhead the Indian bowling unit.
Ahead of the first ODI, Shami is on the brink of a historic milestone. He needs only five wickets to equal Mitchell Starc’s record of being the fastest to 200 ODI wickets. Starc picked 200 ODI wickets from 102 matches while Shami has 195 wickets to his name from 101 ODIs. If he picks five wickets in the first ODI, he will equal Australian pacer Mitchell Starc to become the fastest bowler to take 200 ODI wickets.
If Mohammed Shami takes a 5-wicket haul in his upcoming ODI, he will become the joint fastest to reach 200 ODI wickets,alongside Mitchell Starc.
— Abba's Notebook (@AbbasNotebook) February 4, 2025
Fastest to 200 ODI wickets (by matches)
102 matches :🇦🇺 Mitchell Starc
104 matches :🇵🇰 Saqlain Mushtaq
107 matches :🇳🇿 Trent Boult. pic.twitter.com/YQ3bYbNEJ6
Fastest to 200 wickets in ODIs:
1 - Mitchell Starc: 102 matches to reach 200 wickets
2 - Saqlain Mushtaq: 104 matches to reach 200 wickets
3 - Trent Boult: 107 matches to reach 200 wickets
4 - Brett Lee: 112 matches to reach 200 wickets
5 - Allan Donald: 117 matches to reach 200 wickets
Shami was away from competitive action for more than a year after last playing the 2023 ODI World Cup final. He underwent surgery on an injured ankle in February 2024 and was recovering at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). After his rehab, he worked hard to get back on the Indian team. The pacer played in the Ranji Trophy before featuring in the T20 tournament Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Shami is not guaranteed to get a spot in the playing XI, as the team management also has the Champions Trophy on the back of their minds. However, if he gets to be part of the playing XI, the experienced Indian pacer will be aiming for a historic record at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
