Mohammed Shami is enjoying the form of his life as the right-arm pacer claimed four-fers in consecutive matches, including the match-winning hat-trick against Afghanistan in match 28 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at Hampshire Bowl, Southampton. However, before Shami struck gold, the 29-year-old went through testing times in the last 18 months. From facing questions over fitness to the off-field controversies surrounding the pacer involving his estranged wife Hasin Jahan, Shami saw it all. Mohammed Shami Follows More Women on TikTok, Alleges His Estranged Wife Hasin Jahan in Viral Facebook Post.

After sitting on the bench for the first four matches in this world cup, the Amroha-born pacer finally got a chance to play, after a hamstring injury to Bhuvneshwar Kumar forced Virat Kohli to make the change. The right-arm fast bowler got off to a dream start, bagging four wickets against Afghanistan, which included a hat-trick. Mohammed Shami Snaps a Hat-Trick During IND vs AFG, CWC 2019 Match; Internet Users Congratulate The Indian Fast Bowler.

The fastest Indian bowler to take 100 ODI wickets was dropped from the squad last year following a failed ‘yo-yo’ test. However, not the one to be denied, Shami worked extremely hard on his fitness to get his career back on track. Talking to reporters post the India vs West Indies match, Shami shared his comeback story.

The speedster credits his fixed diet plan for his come-back and is mainly focusing on maintaining his good rhythm ahead of the England encounter at Edgbaston. It will be a good headache for Virat Kohli to decide whether to stick with Mohammed Shami or go back to Bhuvneshwar Kumar who was in the team's primary scheme of things.

However, dropping the right-arm pacer will not be fair after such a stellar display in the mega-tournament. India’s fitness trainer Shankar Basu also reckons that failing the yo-yo test was a blessing in disguise for Shami as the pacer made it a point to prove his detractors wrong. Basu continued saying that Shami has become more determined now.

Shami has also stated that after losing a few extra kilos, he's getting less tired now, which has subsequently increased his speed. With 100 plus ODI wickets to his name, the bowler will look forward to maintaining his fine run at the ICC flagship event.

India, comfortably placed second at the points table, need one more win to secure a semi-final spot. They have three more matches to play against England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2019 06:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).