Asia Cup 2023: Mohammed Shami insists he doesn't have any ego when it comes to bowling with new or old ball

Senior India pacer Mohammed Shami on Thursday insisted he did not have any ego about having to bowl with a worn-out ball, and wouldn’t mind operating at any given stage of an innings. New-ball specialist Shami has been sharing the brand new cherry with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in recent years, and did the same with Mohammed Siraj during Bumrah’s year-long absence from competitive cricket due to a back injury. With Bumrah returning to action in the T20I series in Ireland and regaining full fitness ahead of the Asia Cup and the ICC World Cup, it remains to be seen if Shami continues operating with the new ball, or whether the team management decides to bring Siraj into that role. “I don’t have any hesitancy to bowl with the new ball or the old ball. I don’t have an ego like that. All three of us (Bumrah, Shami & Siraj) are bowling very well, so it depends on the management on who will play,” Shami told Star Sports ahead of Asia Cup. “Depends on whether I have the new ball or whether the team requires me at any stage during the match, I’m always on,” said India’s best exponent of swing bowling in current times. For someone, who has 162 wickets from 90 games with an economy rate of 5.60, Shami doesn’t get too fussy about the format and colour of the ball. “There is too much talk about the white ball or red ball, if you bowl in the right areas I don’t think that there is any difficulty in any ball,” said the Bengal speedster. “There is only one goal, to go and give 100 per cent, the result will come running to us if we give our 100 per cent. So it is very important to focus and execute, it’s a very simple plan.” Also Read | Jasprit Bumrah returns in style; says 'didn't feel I missed out a lot' Bumrah’s presence will certainly boost the team’s morale ahead of a big event like World Cup. “For a long time we didn’t have Jassi (Bumrah), so we felt the loss of a good player like him. You sometimes feel like ‘I wish this player was there’, to make your combination set. “So having Jassi, especially in the white-ball format, has made our bowling very strong. He’s looking fit and he’s playing well, hopefully, we have a good Asia Cup.” Also Read | As a senior bowler you have to lead the way, says Mohammed Shami The camp in Alur before the Asia Cup has been of immense help for Shami who last played a white-ball game in March and would like to hit the straps straighaway against Pakistan. “For big games, there is always preparation as we have practised in the training camp. I don’t think we have to analyse too much into the situation, we have the skill and the bowling line-up, so we don’t have to think too much. “But I have to say one thing, whenever One-day matches come, there has to be focus. So to be focused and to have proper planning.” With inputs from PTI