New Delhi, April 2 This is just the beginning of Mohammed Shami's journey to redemption, said former India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday, referring to the veteran seamer's economical spell for Lucknow Super Giants in their IPL match against Delhi Capitals.
The out-of-favour Indian pacer was acquired by LSG for ₹10 crore in a trade with Sunrisers Hyderabad during the pre-auction window. Shami marked his LSG debut by becoming the first bowler in IPL history to take five wickets in the first over, dismissing K L Rahul in their season opener.
Speaking about Shami's performance against DC, Pujara told broadcaster Star Sports, "This season of the IPL is very important for Mohammed Shami, and the way he started the tournament with this performance against DC shows that he is serious.
"Yes, his figures were 1 for 28, but it was Shami who played a crucial role in helping his team get off to a strong start in the powerplay. He first got rid of KL Rahul on the very first ball of the run chase, and full credit goes to Shami."
Despite the six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals, Shami's opening spell highlighted his form after a 67-wicket domestic season.
"He knew that Rahul loves to play the inside-out shot, so he bowled a wide delivery. Rahul played the inside-out shot, but it went straight into the hands of the deep fielder. Then, he restricted the scoring by bowling tight lines and prevented the batsmen from scoring runs.
"Shami has been playing domestic cricket across all formats in the last year, and his performances have been good. He is translating his domestic form into the IPL. This performance against Delhi is just the beginning of Mohammed Shami's journey to redemption," Pujara said.
Pujara also praised DC's move to bring in Sameer Rizvi as the impact player. The Capitals rode on Rizvi's unbeaten half-century to emerge victorious.
"Bringing Sameer Rizvi as the impact substitute ahead of Ashutosh Sharma was a good move given the demands of the situation. The team management backed Rizvi, and it paid off. He held one end while Stubbs secured the other, and their partnership was crucial.
"Batting wasn't easy, as the LSG bowlers got plenty of help under lights, which is why they took four early wickets. They bowled well under pressure, but the Stubbs-Rizvi pair took the game away.
"Whether he starts in the Playing XI or comes in as an impact player remains to be seen, but I would pick him over Ashutosh Sharma and Karun Nair," Pujara said.
With figures of 2/31 in four overs, spinner Kuldeep Yadav too played a key role in restricting LSG to 141.
On how Kuldeep's increased confidence has transformed his bowling, Pujara said, "Confidence plays a very important role in a bowler's performance. The way Kuldeep Yadav has bowled in the last two years is because of his confidence. He is bowling without any fear.
"There was a time when he didn't have much faith in his bowling, but those days are gone. When a bowler's confidence increases, he starts picking up wickets, and the hunger to do well increases.
"Kuldeep's confidence has improved a lot since joining DC. With confidence, his skill execution has also improved, and that was quite evident in the encounter against LSG."