India cricket team pacer Mohammed Shami opened up on being called lazy by former India captain Virat Kohli and said that being a fast bowler was the toughest job. The run-machine has fondly referred to the fast bowler in the past as lazy or ‘lala’. Shami claimed that any player who was a part of the Indian team was bound to get a nickname.
Shami’s take on being called lazy by Kohli
Speaking on Rajat Sharma’s Aap ki Aadalat show, Shami said that there was nothing wrong in taking a nap when he wasn’t playing at that time. He said that it was Virat’s mischief to refer to him as lazy and as ‘lala’. Shami claimed that he ran the most when the situation arises, adding that it was the toughest job in the world.
“Your body gets tired when you play a Test match, I may have caught a nap, but to get the ‘lazy’ tag, I do not mind, but I have the toughest job, I run the most, whenever situation arises, the fast bowler is called, but off the field, agar banda relaxed hai, toh kya harz hai, yaar? It’s Virat’s harkat, to describe me as ‘lazy’ or ‘lala’, though I am neither fat, nor do I sell jewellery,” Shami said.
After being on the sidelines for over a year due to an ankle injury he sustained during the ODI World Cup in 2023, Shami returned to international cricket earlier in January. He was a part of the Indian team which lifted the Champions Trophy 2025 in March. Shami then featured in IPL 2025 for a new franchise – SRH – where he had a sub-par season. His fitness issues, along with his inability to bowl at a consistent pace and lengths, saw him being left out of the squad for the IND vs ENG Test series.
Shami is expected to return to internaional cricket in the ODI series against Australia which commences in October. He also stands a chance of featuring in the Test series at home against West Indies which will precede the tour to Down Under.
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