'Mai cricket chor doonga' - Former India bowling coach reveals when Mohammed Shami wanted to retire - watch

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has made a startling revelation about Mohammed Shami, who in 2018 wanted to quit cricket after he failed the fitness test and was going through a rough phase in his personal life."When Shami was going through trauma and a crisis in his personal life, Ravi (Shastri) spoke to him and told him, ‘Any support you need, please feel free to ask,’" said former India bowling coach Bharat Arun in conversation with K. Shriniwas Rao, Head of Content (Sports), Times Internet, in the latest episode of Bombay Sport Exchange."And in 2018, just before the tour of England, we had a match against Afghanistan (Test match in Bengaluru). Shami failed the fitness test and he was dropped from the team."He was very dejected. He was at the peak of his personal problems as well. So he came to my room and said, 'Paaji, mai cricket chor doonga' (I will quit cricket)."So I asked him, 'What are you going to do after quitting cricket? Whatever you are and whatever you have achieved is because of cricket.' He said he was angry. I took him to Ravi."Ravi said, 'If you are angry and you have the ball in your hand, show your anger with the ball. You want to quit cricket because your body is not fit?'"We sent him to the NCA and the only instruction was to work on him physically, no bowling. Three weeks after we sent him to the NCA, he called me and said: 'Paaji, mai toh abhi ghode ki tarah bhaag raha hoon' (I am running like a horse)."That is how Mohammed Shami regained his confidence and he played those five Test matches in England. In the fifth Test match, after tea time on the last day, he bowled a spell at 140 kmph — that was his fitness level. It was amazing."