Can Mohammed Shami become India’s new fast bowling leader?

October 19th, 2013 is a date which Ishant Sharma would want to forget. For it was on this day that James Faulkner smashed the living daylights out of him, helping his side pull off, what seemed an improbable win, at one point, in an ODI in Mohali.

MS Dhoni had seen enough and in the next game at Ranchi, replaced the lanky pacer with little-known Mohammed Shami. The Bengal cricketer had played just the solitary game, prior to this but showed no signs of nerves, picking up three Australian wickets inside the opening Powerplay to leave them reeling at 32 for 3.

By the end of that series, the selectors and Dhoni had seen enough of him to draft him in the Test squad for the hastily-arranged two-match series against the West Indies.

A start to remember

Handed a debut on home turf, Shami put in a performance to remember, claiming nine wickets and leading India to a comfortable win at the Eden Gardens.

The performance had some interesting aspects to it.

Firstly, you could see this man could take wickets, which was often what Dhoni hoped from his bowlers.

Secondly, he was a fast bowler, in every sense of the word. Clocking in excess of 135kph, he terrorised the batsmen on debut.

But the most heartening aspect about his bowling was how he could do both conventional and reverse swing with equal skill and as a result, be effective at various stages of the innings.

In the next year, Shami featured in each of India's overseas trips, bowling his heart out even as the team failed to win any of the series in South Africa, New Zealand and England.

However, Shami, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma, had shown glimpses in each of the tours that as a unit, they could be invested in, provided all remain fit.

Which is where we come to the next half of Shami's career: Injuries.

Fast bowling is not easy.

It never was and never will be in the future, either. It takes a toll on the body and can be an even more strenuous a job if it has to be done on unresponsive pitches.

Shami has been at the wrong end of injuries ever since the tour to Australia in 2014. Battling through pain, he guided India to the semifinals of the World Cup, before having a long layoff.

Usually, when a prime bowler is not exactly in the best condition, the role of a captain in ensuring he does not break down further.

Dhoni, in this case, was superb. As per a report on ESPNCricinfo, when the team travelled around Australia and New Zealand during the 2015 World Cup, he gave up his business class seats on flights to his fast bowlers for them to get adequate rest and himself went on economic class seats.

The result was the unit, led by Shami bowling oppositions out on seven out of the eight matches.

Still the force that he was

Mohammed Shami looks to be back to his best

Once he returned from injury around this time last year, Shami has shown why he could be a valuable asset for the Indian team, when he plays.What should hearten Virat Kohli is that he seems to have lost none of the skills which made him as potent a player as he was when he burst on to the scene.

The injuries, however, have not been kind to him and he must find a way to keep himself fit for a longer duration than what he is now. Shami's presence in the team has raised an important question: Is he the leader of this fast bowling unit?

The reason for this is because Ishant, who was touted to be the man to replace Zaheer Khan as the fast bowling head, has gone out of favour in the eyes of the management.

It could be because of Kohli's love of express fast bowlers, could be because Ishant usually bowls more back-of-a-length as compared to the fuller lengths that are expected of him.

Whatever it is, his absence from the playing XI means someone else has a chance to take his spot and Shami has to grab that opportunity.

Any captain expects a couple of things from his quicks: he must give wickets to the side with the new ball and then return late in the day and claim scalps with the old ball as well.

Shami has shown to be capable of performing both those tasks with equal aplomb and perhaps the best exponent of reverse swing in the side at the moment.

The injury aspect to his game can be managed if India do to him, what they have done with Jasprit Bumrah, which is to use him extensively but not in all formats of the game.

There is no questioning his capabilities as a limited-overs bowler, but considering the challenges that lie ahead for his side in the longer format, it would help Kohli and co. if he is given regular breaks to give his best when bigger Tests approach.

For now, it is time to sit back and enjoy the action that unfolds.