Mohammed Shami (PTI Photo)
Within days, a 16-year-old Shami boarded the Punjab Mail to Kolkata. Playing for Dalhousie Athletic Club in the Maidan circuit for Rs 500 a match, Shami soon caught the eye of Town Club official Debabrata Das, who signed him for Rs 70,000 a season and accommodated him at his home. Shami repaid that faith by claiming three wickets on his Ranji Trophy debut against Assam at Eden Gardens in 2010.
“He was a lambi race ka ghoda,” Tiwary said. “Shami wasn’t a regular in the XI initially, but I saw how Akram worked on his game,” Tiwary recalled. A Kolkata club approached Siddique looking for a fast bowler and the coach immediately recommended his most promising pupil. He preferred running and long bowling spells. His fondness for biryani became legendary in Kolkata’s club circuit, with officials jokingly motivating him with promises of a plate after a match-winning spell. Breaking into Bengal’s senior side remained difficult until then chief selector Sambaran Banerjee spotted him in a local match against Eastern Railway. “I watched him from beside the sightscreen. He took four wickets bowling with the wind. I asked the captain to bring him on against the wind and he took two more. I knew immediately this boy could spearhead India’s attack one day,” Banerjee recalled. What impressed him most was a trait that would later become Shami’s hallmark.“His seam position and release point were exceptional. That very evening I pushed for his inclusion in the Bengal squad. Former Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary remembers being struck by his smooth action and natural pace. He also points out the influence Wasim Akram had when the Pakistan great joined Kolkata Knight Riders as bowling coach.