I had no clue Mohammed Shami's daughter was in ICU: Virat Kohli

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami bowled an inspiring spell on the second day of the second Test at his home ground Kolkata. India was out on the field that day, resuming to bat from their overnight score of 250, eventually finishing at 316 and then going on to restrict the opposition to a paltry 128-7 by stumps. The crowd was roaring and everyone including skipper Virat Kohli praised the fast bowler for his zestful bowling towards the end of the day.

However, nobody knew that Shami was facing a serious personal problem during the Test. His infant daughter, Aairah, was admitted in the hospital due to fever when he was playing on the second day of the Test. The following day, the girl had to be shifted to the ICU after her condition became unstable. But, despite this personal emergency, Shami continued playing without letting anyone know about the problem.

It was only later that the 26-year-old fast bowler spoke with Kohli about his daughter’s condition and everyone became aware of the situation. Test skipper Virat Kohli has revealed that he simply was unaware of what was in Shami’s mind and what he was going through. The fast bowler, however, informed his captain about it later on.

He continued, “He is someone everyone gets along with. Whatever might be happening with him, we won’t know. I had no clue that his daughter was in the hospital. He told us after.”

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Kohli hailed Shami’s performance and branded him as a “top bowler”. He was quick to add that Shami just needed to be motivated from time to time.

The skipper said, “He (Shami) is a guy who comes on to the field and gives everything. He just needs a bit of motivation every now and then, which every fast bowler does in conditions that we have. Skill-wise there is no doubt that he is a top bowler. He has a knack of picking up wickets.”

“Mohammed Shami is just like any normal guy of his age. It is just that he is not expressive on the field. He is a very likeable character in the change room and among the team members,” the 27-year-old added.

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Shami later lauded Virat Kohli’s leadership when he took to social media to express his joy of winning the series.