Kolkata: Missing an important ingredient like Hardik Pandya seemed a big enough blow for India almost a month ago when the all-rounder limped out of Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on October 19.
It was on November 4, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Pandya would be out of the rest of the ICC World Cup 2023 due to the ankle injury he sustained during bowling against Bangladesh. He was subsequently replaced by Prasidh Krishna.
Cut to the present, the injury looks to be a blessing in disguise for the Men in Blue. From October 22, seasoned quick Mohammed Shami got a look at ignoring a lacklustre Shardul Thakur, who has been baggage so far in this otherwise top-class bunch.
The moment Shami was drafted in, the team looked more composed, and that showed in the result. A look at the bowling charts would reveal how the Bengal speedster has left behind his compatriots in the ICC World Cup 2023 and churned out sheer magic.
As many as 23 scalps from six matches, including three fifers and a four-wicket haul, put Shami on top of the list. The seven-wicket haul against New Zealand in the semi-final on Wednesday was literally a one-man show. It saw records falling like ninepins.
For Shami, the word 'outstanding' is an understatement. Only the 23 wickets so far don't tell the story that has unfolded since the group league match against Bangladesh. Since his introduction to the team, the stout pacer has had several distinctions added to his name and multiple records were rewritten at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday night.
From being the first Indian to claim 50 wickets in the ODI World Cup to being the first to register the best bowling figure in the knockout matches at any ICC World Cups. Shami also became the fastest to 50 wickets in the ODI World Cup.
As far as bowling figures are concerned, Shami looks talismanic there too. He bettered the best Indian bowling figure (7-57) so far held by Stuart Binny 4.4-2-4-6. Binny set the record back in 2014 in Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Three fifers in one World Cup is also a distinction that Shami has achieved on Wednesday. He now has three 5-wicket hauls. He went past his predecessor Zaheer Khan, who claimed 21 wickets in the 2011 edition of the ODI World Cup. Besides surpassing former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar for the best bowling figure against the Black Caps with his seven-wicket carnage, the pacer also occupied the fifth place in terms of best bowling figures in the history of World Cups.
Besides the records he snapped up during the World Cup, his line and length have earned effusive praise from the nook and corner of the world. For the record, Shami is still not done in the World Cup as India are in the final and still has one match to go.
However, it may sound like Pandya's injury has made India turn around in the tournament, but in fact, it is the combination and composition that played the trick for the Men in Blue.
With Shami in the fold, India got a solution with the usage of the old ball. Shami's swing and reverse with the old ball unsettled all the top batters across the globe. Two new-ball bowlers — Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj — unleashed fire from both ends before Shami could swing matches in India's favour on most occasions.
However, as and when Pandya returns to the India fold, it would make the Indian pace pack more lethal and the team more balanced in all aspects of the game of uncertainty.
Get well soon, Hardik Pandya!
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