"My Mindset Was To...": Mohammed Shami On Bowling Strategy In 1st ODI vs Australia

The moment Mohammad Shami bowled the first ball of his second spell, it felt as if everything has fallen in place. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja's star turn with the bat might have got India a five-wicket against Australia in the first ODI but the credit for restricting visitors to a gettable total goes to Shami. "It felt alright right from the first ball of the second spell. The ball was coming off nicely from the point of release," Shami told the mediapersons after the match. "We talk about the seam position or off the deck, but the focus was to keep the ball in good areas because they were playing on the back-foot. My mindset was to pitch the ball a little further with a slip in place, as I had done in the first spell," he explained.

Shami said it was pleasing to see Rahul playing a key role with the bat after a long period of struggle with the bat and criticism from almost all corners.

"He has played so many good innings in the past. It happens sometimes that luck does not favour you, or things are not working out well if you are trying to do something," Shami said.

"The pressure (on Rahul) was certainly there, we had lost so many wickets in quick succession but the way he rebuilt, it was very nice to see that one of our players has made runs in a pressure situation," Shami added.

The right-arm India pacer, who returned with 6-2-17-3 on Friday, said it is important to clinch the momentum at the right time in venues like the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

"If you see overall then there have been high-scoring matches as well here. The pitches here have good bounce, the ball comes nicely on the bat too, (big) runs are also scored here at this venue," Shami said.

"But if you would have noticed, whenever someone bowls in the