Mohammed Shami Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mohammed Shami

• In his teenage years, Mohammed Shami, a devoted learner, used to reach his training venue one hour earlier. He would then set up his nets and practice vigorously for hours.

• Interestingly, all the three real brothers of Shami aspired to become fast bowlers in their childhood.

• Shami owes his success to his father Tousif Ali. According to him, his father was the only person who realised his true potential as a bowler and persuaded him to try the sport.

• After seeing Shami’s potential, his father immediately took him to the local cricket coach named Badruddin Siddique.

• In an interview, Badruddin said that when Shami could not get into the Uttar Pradesh Under-19 team due to politics, he advised him to move to Kolkata so that his year would not get wasted.
  

  Mohammed Shami with his coach, Badruddin Siddique

• While in Kolkata, Shami started playing for the Dalhousie Athletic Club, where he was noticed by Debabrata Das, former assistant secretary of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Impressed with Shami’s bowling, he drafted Shami into his team named Town Club for INR 75,000. Das said that in 2005, Shami had no place to stay in Kolkata, so Shami took temporary refuge in his house.
  

  Mohammed Shami when he played for Dalhousie Athletic Club

• Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed him up before the 2011 IPL (Indian Premier League) season. He made his IPL debut for KKR in 2013.
  

  Mohammed Shami with Wasim Akram when he played for KKR

• At the 2014 IPL auctions, he was selected by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 4.25 crore against the base price of Rs 1 crore.
  

  Mohammed Shami playing for Delhi Daredevils

• When Shami debuted for India, he was known as Shami Ahmed, but later it was noted that his original name was Mohammed Shami. In an interview with a newspaper, Shami revealed this by saying, “I don’t know how my name got that tail. I’m Mohammed Shami, not Shami Ahmed.”

• Shami has scored useful runs for India on various occasions. In a test against England in 2014, he scored 51 runs not out which was his first test half-century.
  

  Mohammed Shami after scoring his first test fifty

• Shami’s performances in the T20Is have not been up to the mark as in tests and ODIs. In the 2014 T20 World Cup held in Bangladesh, he took 2 wickets in 3 matches an average of 43.50, a strike rate of 30.00, and an economy of 8.70.
  

  Mohammed Shami in the 2014 T20 World Cup

• In the 2015 ODI World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, he took 17 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 17.29, a strike rate of 21.53, and an economy of 4.82.
  

  Mohammed Shami in the 2015 ODI World Cup

• In January 2016, Shami’s brother, Mohammed Haseeb, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and pressurizing cops to release a few men arrested on charges of cow slaughter. His father, however, dismissed the allegations and said that his family was being targeted because of their religion and Shami’s fame. Haseeb was later released on bail.

• In 2019, Shami was acquired by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 4.8 crore against his base price of Rs 1 crore.
  

  Mohammed Shami with KL Rahul when he played for Kings XI Punjab

• In the 2019 ODI World Cup held in England, he took 14 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 13.79, a strike rate of 15.07, and an economy of 5.49.
  

  Mohammed Shami celebrating his hattrick in the 2019 ODI World Cup

• In the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton, England, he took 4 wickets for 76 runs in the first innings and went wicketless for 31 runs in the second innings.
  

  Mohammed Shami during the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final

• In the 2021 T20 World Cup held in Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE), he took 6 wickets in 5 matches an average of 23.33, a strike rate of 15.83, and an economy of 8.84.
  

  Mohammed Shami with Virat Kohli during a match in the 2021 T20 World Cup

• After India lost to Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup, he became the subject of an online troll/hate campaign, particularly due to being the only Muslim in that Indian team. Many fans posted Islamophobic messages against Shami on Twitter and Instagram. ^[7]Hindustan Times

• In the 2022 auction for IPL, Gujarat Titans acquired him for Rs 6.25 crore against the base price of Rs 2 crore. He helped the team win the 2022 IPL Trophy by taking 20 wickets at an economy of 8.
  

  Mohammed Shami playing for Gujarat Titans in the 2022 IPL season

• In the 2022 T20 World Cup held in Australia, he took 6 wickets in 6 matches an average of 23.83, a strike rate of 20, and an economy of 7.15.
  

  Mohammed Shami with Rohit Sharma during a match in the 2022 T20 World Cup

• While playing for Gujarat Titans in the Tata IPL 2023, Mohammad Shami won the Purple Cap for picking the most number of wickets in the season; he ended the season with 28 wickets in 17 matches at an economy rate of 8.03. ^[8]Sportstar
  

  Mohammed Shami with Purple Cap in the 2023 IPL season

• In the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval, England, he took 2 wickets for 122 runs in the first innings and 2 wickets for 39 runs in the second innings; however, India lost.
  

  Mohammed Shami during the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final

• Mohammed Shami cemented his place among the Indian bowling legends with his performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India. He was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 24 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 10.71, a strike rate of 12.21, and an economy of 5.26.
  

  Mohammed Shami during a match in the 2023 ODI World Cup

• In November 2023, the Uttar Pradesh government announced the construction of a stadium at his ancestral village, Sahaspur Alinagar, to honour his cricketing achievements.

• In an interview, Shami talked about his battle with depression due to legal issues with his wife, Hasin Jahan, and shared that he once tried to commit suicide on three occasions. His struggles had escalated to the point where his family feared he might jump from their 24th-floor apartment. To support him, his friends ensured he was never alone.

• Shami also mentioned a 10-12 day rehab experience, where the repetitive exercises were stressful. He revealed the challenges he faced in his recovery from a 2015 World Cup injury, which took 18 months. ^[9]The Times of India

• In November 2023, Shami was travelling from Nainital to Amroha by road when the car ahead of him got off balance and fell into a ditch. Shami helped out the person, named Anubhav Soni, son of a Uttar Pradesh police official named Aarti Soni after which many people called him a good samaritan. ^[10]Instagram – Mohammed Shami
  

  Mohammed Shami’s Instagram post after saving the person with the comment of the person’s mother

• As of November 2023, he was the brand ambassador of many brands including the sportswear brand Puma, Hell Energy Drink, and the Vision 11 fantasy app. He also doubled his endorsement fee to Rs 1 crore after the 2023 ODI World Cup. ^[11]Business Standard
  

  Mohammed Shami after becoming the brand ambassador of Puma

• Shami is often regarded as a reverse swing specialist. This art is not a result of luck but of years of hard work; he used to take old red balls from the organisers of junior-level tournaments and then shine them on one side. He then practised with these old red balls, with shine on one side to get the required reverse swing.

• In an interview, he said that he paid more importance to the accuracy in line and length instead of the speed.

• His bowling speeds have mostly been recorded at around 140 kph (87 mph). His fastest ball was clocked at 153.2 kph (95 mph) against Australia at a test match in Melbourne in 2014.

• In February 2024, Mohammed Shami underwent a heel operation surgery on his Achilles tendon. Due to the injury, he was ruled out of the 2024 IPL season (IPL 17) and did not play a single match.
  

  Mohammed Shami after his surgery

• In March 2024, media reports speculated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to field Mohammed Shami from the West Bengal during the 2024 General elections. ^[12]India Today

• He is a dog lover and has a pet dog named Jack.
  

  Mohammed Shami with his pet dog, Jack

• He often does charity work whenever he has free time. In 2018, he donated tricycles to differently-abled persons in his village. During the second wave of COVID-19, he donated free food to the poor and needy.
  

  Mohammed Shami donating tricycles to differently-abled people in his village

• Mohammed Shami is very popular on social media. As of March 2024, he has around 13 million followers on Instagram, ^[13]Instagram – Mohammed Shami 3 million followers on Twitter, ^[14]Twitter – Mohammed Shami and 5 million followers on Facebook. ^[15]Facebook – Mohammed Shami