JOIN USMany bowlers nowadays seldom engage in verbal warfare with Virat Kohli. They know such actions will mostly end up in further provoking the always-simmering Indian skipper, resulting in them getting a nasty beatdown. South Africa's left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, though, thinks otherwise. He's willing to fight with fire.
In the last T20I at Mohali, Shamsi was seen having a go at Kohli. The Delhiite, typically, countered that with a match-winning 72 not out but Shamsi, who held his end of the bargain by conceding just 19 runs and picking the wicket of Shikhar Dhawan in his three overs, refused to back down from indulging in some banter.
"We all know Kohli is a fierce cricketer and so am I," said Shami following an intense training session on Friday where he ended up batting for nearly an hour. "Off the field, we are good friends as you saw at the end of the game. You saw giving one another that hug. He is playing for India and I am fighting for South Africa, so it shows the type of people we are.
"You will see the same on Sunday (in the third T20I). We do not let it go off the field. There is no personal battles on the field. We are friends. I will not give him an inch on the field that is how it will be. He will also not give me anything free. No matter how good friends we are, if I bowl a bad ball, he will hit me and if he is not in his game, I will get him out and I will remind him about that. You should not be too friendly on the field. Off the field, you get to know him personally. I do not want to speak about that. He is a great guy and I have good things to say about him."
With veteran Imran Tahir having hung up his boots, Shamsi is slowly becoming a permanent feature in the Proteas limited-overs set-up. The immense pressure too has eased up but 29-year-old felt nothing can be taken for granted.
"Even though I was a second choice spinner when Imran Tahir was there, it was not that I could bowl bad balls in the match. Whether first or second, you are playing for South Africa, you are expected to deliver the best. Nothing changes in that sense. Yes, Imran is not here and that is just the transition goes through.
"Look at India, after (Sachin) Tendulkar, Kohli has taken over and somebody will take over. It is just a natural transition and I do not see it as added pressure. Personally, I feel nothing has changed for me. Even back then I was fighting for my country and I am willing to take on the best in the world and will never back down. That is my personality. There will be ups and downs in my career, but I have to make sure that I maintain my hard work."
Shamsi, who has played just two Test matches in a chequered career, says his main goal is to break into the longer format side. "That is the dream. I have been in and out of Test team. That is a different squad. In terms of my own performance, I am focused on ODIs and T20 and the shorter format World Cup too. I do not want to look too far ahead and worry about Test cricket. I am looking game by game."