Rohit Sharma doesn't like facing me in the nets: Mohammed Shami

Mohammad Shami revealed that Indian captain Rohit Sharma doesn't like facing him in the nets. The star pacer is currently on the road to regaining full fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after undergoing successful ankle surgery in February.

Shami is one of the most popular personalities in the Indian dressing room and shares fabulous camaradarie with his teammates. During a recent interview, the 33-year-old hilariously revealed that the legendary Rohit doesn't like to face him in the nets.

"Rohit to pehle hi kehta hai 'mai isko khelna pasand nahi karta'. Woh to pehle hi mana kar deta hai (Rohit says I don't like to face him, he refuses to bat against me)," said Shami during an interview with Shubhankar Mishra.

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Shami also spoke about his duels with Virat Kohli in the nets. The Bengal pacer said that there is a healthy competition between him and the former India captain as both of them try to one-up each other.

"Virat se to mera hamesha se rehta hai ki hum ek dusre ko challenge dete hain (with Virat it's always like we challenge each other). He likes to hit good shots, I like to get him out. The bonding and the friendship reflects in that. It also helps you focus and put in the effort as you simulate (fielding positions), for example, two (imaginary) slips in place, two gully fielders. (So I challenge Virat) to come at me and score runs. We enjoy such things," said Shami.

Rohit has scored 65 runs from 58 balls against Shami in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has been dismissed thrice. Meanwhile, Kohli has amassed 107 runs from 77 balls against the right-arm seamer but has lost his wicket on five occasions.

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Shami had a spectacular ODI World Cup 2023 campaign, as he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. In seven matches, he picked up 24 wickets at a mind-boggling average of 10.71. His last competitive encounter was the final against Australia in Ahmedabad, which India lost by six wickets. It goes without saying that the Indian fans are eagerly waiting for the experienced campaigner to return to the Indian team.