‘Double hundred is a special number’ – Rohit Sharma lauds Mohammed Shami for picking up 200 Test wickets

Mohammed Shami, on Tuesday, December 28, became the 11th Indian bowler to pick up 200 wickets in Test cricket. The speedster accomplished the feat after he picked up a five-wicket haul in India’s opening Test against South Africa at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Shami is also the fifth Indian pacer to the accomplishment after Kapil Dev, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath.

On Day three of the ongoing Test, Shami made sure that India amassed a mammoth lead of 130 runs in their first innings. The pacer got the prized wickets of Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder and Kagiso Rabada, and pushed the Proteas on the backfoot. On the back of his spell, India bowled Dean Elgar and Co. out for 197 in 62.3 overs.

In the meantime, Team India’s ODI and T20I skipper, Rohit Sharma, lauded Shami for picking up 200 wickets in the purest format of the sport. Sharma was named the vice-captain of the Test team, but he couldn’t take part after sustaining a hamstring injury during a training session in Mumbai.

While showering praises on Shami, Rohit took to Twitter and write, “Double hundred is a special number.” As far as double hundreds are concerns, Rohit has three of them to his name in ODI cricket, having scored them against Australia and Sri Lanka. Back in October 2019, the 34-year-old also racked up a Test double ton against the Proteas in Ranchi.

Rohit Sharma’s tweet

Shami, in the meantime, after taking the fifer, expressed gratitude to his father. The seamer praised him for supporting him through thick and thin during his career. He also talked about the hard work he has had to put in to scale new heights in international cricket.

“My father deserves a lot of credit for who I am right now and I am right now. Because I am from an area where it doesn’t have many facilities, it’s a special feeling to get a 5-wicket haul and lots of hard work required,” Mohammed Shami was quoted as saying after the day’s play.

India are well and truly on the driver’s seat in the Centurion Test, having taken a lead of 146 runs with nine wickets left in their second innings.