(Cricket news) India has not had a defiant pace attack for many years unlike now where there is a group of youngsters ready to send thunderous spells down the pitch. The team always had one or two pace bowlers but now there are a lot of options to look at. India have bowlers who can bowl around 140 km/hour with swing and seam movement. Mohammad Shami has been a part of that pace attack since making his debut in 2013.

Shami has played 55 Test matches for India and has taken 195 wickets. He is the 10th highest Indian wicket taker  in Tests and just below spinner Ravindra Jadeja who has 232 wickets. Among the pacers, Kapil Dev still leads the tally with 434 wickets and Shami is behind Javagal Srinath who has 236 wickets.

The 31 year old has been known to master the reverse swing which has been one of his key weapons. He can swing with the old ball too with incredible accuracy and speed as one can imagine what he does with the new balls. Shami had a serious knee injury after which he successfully made a comeback and has been one of the best bowlers in the Test format.

Hailing from UP, he has been one of the most hardworking players on the side and has been reliable in taking out the top order batters along with the middle order. He provides the early breakthrough and is deadly in the final hours of a Test match. Shami also has yorkers that go straight to the batters toe or to the stumps as his upright seam position gives the pace and angle. His bouncers have also troubled the batters as it does not give much time or space for the batters to make a move.

The tail ender has also scored two half centuries for the team. Both of them have come against England, the first one was 4 years ago in Nottingham and the second one came at Lords three months back. Although he is not an all rounder, Shami has that strength to clear the boundaries although playing defensive is not his greatest skill. 

This year Shami has taken 15 wickets in 5 matches, only Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj have taken more wickets than him among the pacers in the side. He is currently playing in the 1st Test of the South Africa series and will try to get to the 200 wicket mark by taking advantage of the South African conditions.

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