India Test skipper Virat Kohli, on Friday, reserved special praise for medium pacer Mohammed Shami, terming him a very important bowler for the team, saying 'he makes it count every time he comes on the field'.
Shami made an impressive return in the longest format of the game after an 18-month hiatus, bagging a total of 10 wickets in the recently-concluded successful four-match series against West Indies.
He also notched up eight wickets in first two Test matches against New Zealand in Kanpur and Kolkata.
Praising Mohammed Shami’s performance on returning to the team, following a long injury layoff, Kohli said the Bengal pacer was a very important cog in the Indian bowling attack.
"Shami has come on well. He's worked very hard on his fitness as well. In the five-six overs (spell) he runs in, gets bit of momentum. He can take wickets on any wicket. That's the sort of skills he has. He is a strike bowler and whenever he comes on to bowl he makes something happen,” Kohli said.
"As a captain, I feel he is a very important bowler for us in this whole season as well as in future. But looking at the future, his fitness and rhythm is very important for us. He is an outstanding bowler, whenever he comes in he makes something happen regardless of the surface we are playing on," he asserted.
