IND vs NZ: Mohammed Shami opens up on his preference of playing matches over net sessions

Team India veteran pacer Mohammed Shami expressed that he prefers playing matches over engaging in a practice session to maintain optimum fitness. Shami and skipper Rohit Sharma powered the Men in Blue to an emphatic series-clinching win against New Zealand in the second ODI as India emerged victorious by eight wickets.

Thanks to Shami's three wicket-haul which set the tone for the match, before openers Rohit and Shubman Gill played solid knocks to chase down the paltry total of 108 runs. Following the win, Shami opined that he would rather play matches to maintain fitness than hit the practice sessions and added that the main players stay in a ‘good zone’ ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. 

“I always prefer playing matches over practice. It is always better to play maximum number of games to get ready for a big event. Load is being managed and it is being managed properly. I just hope the main players stay in a good zone (ahead of the World Cup),” Shami was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. 

World Cup is still long time away, we need to play lots of matches: Shami

With the 50-over marquee event on the horizon, the veteran pacer further added that it is too early to finalise the squad combination for the competition. 

“If people still doubt the Indian team despite the results it has given in the last four to six years, World Cup is still long time away. We need to play a lot of games and need to try out more players before that,” Shami added.

With back-to-back wins in the ODIs, team India will be on the lookout to maintain consistency and also manage the workload of the players in order to keep them fit for the mega event. The Men in Blue take their next assignment against New Zealand in the final ODI clash in Indore on January 24.