‘Gym se body ban jayegi, bowling nahi’: Mohammad Shami’s one line that sparked Mohsin Khan’s comeback

NEW DELHI: For Badruddin Siddiqui, Wednesday evening was special. Two of his wards, whom he has trained since their early teens, were bowling in tandem for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) against the Delhi Capitals at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Mohammed Shami struck with his first ball, removing KL Rahul. Mohsin Khan bowled a wicket-maiden, dismissing Nitish Rana, and had Player of the Match Sameer Rizvi, his Uttar Pradesh teammate, searching for runs. In his first three overs, Mohsin gave away six runs, and Rizvi managed only two off the ten balls he faced. Tristan Stubbs managed four runs off six balls against the left-arm quick.




Mohsin was all over Rizvi and Stubbs, but for Badruddin, it was not his bowling that impressed him the most. On the fifth ball of the 12th over, the 27-year-old made a full-stretched dive to save two runs at third man. Mohsin's effort forced Badruddin to jump out of his couch.

"Ab darr khatam ho chuka hai (He is not afraid anymore)," Badruddin tells TimesofIndia.com. "If a fast bowler whose career has been marred by injuries is diving in the field, it means just one thing. He is supremely fit," he explains.

After bursting onto the scene in IPL 2022, where he picked up 14 wickets in 10 matches with an impressive economy rate of 5.96, he was close to an India call-up but suffered a serious shoulder injury and did not play any competitive cricket for a whole year. He was not fit for the first half of IPL 2023, but made an excellent comeback, defending 11 runs in the last over against Mumbai Indians.

In the last four years, he has had a career-threatening shoulder injury, a groin injury, and the worst phase came when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee while playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

"Injuries become part and parcel of any fast bowler. But Mohsin has been a bit unfortunate," says Badruddin.

Luckily, in all these frustrating years, he has had Mohammad Shami on his side. Mohsin stays at Shami's farmhouse in Alinagar, Bihar.

"Shami has helped him a lot, right from the start. It was during the lockdown that he started living and training with Shami at his farmhouse. The results were there for everyone to see in IPL 2022," says Badruddin.

Badruddin blames Mohsin's lifestyle for his downfall and his injuries.

"It is his fault. He is a gifted athlete. But nowadays youngsters have this fascination with the gym and posting videos on social media," he says.

Badruddin shares a conversation that took place after the IPL last year between Shami and Mohsin.

"We were having tea at Shami's farmhouse, and Mohsin was just coming out of the gym. I remember Shami's words, 'Mohsin miyaan, gym se body ban jayegi, bowling nahi' (Gym can shape your body, not your bowling)," laughs Badruddin.

The stern remark from Shami left Mohsin shocked. "His jaw dropped," recollects Badruddin.

"A fast bowler should train on the ground. If you want to bowl at 140 kph, you have to grind on the field. Gym se bowling improve nahi hoti (Your bowling will not improve in the gym)," he says.

Mohsin stands six feet three inches tall, and Badruddin feels his hard lengths hurry batters more than Shami.

"Mohsin is tall and his ball climbs onto a batter quicker than Shami. You tell me how many left-arm quicks can swing the ball both ways at 140 kmph and generate such a steep bounce. No one in India at present," he praises his ward.

What Mohsin has done in the past twelve months is to go back to the basics. He runs, he bowls, and trains tirelessly, with Shami shouting from behind, "India khelna hai ya nahi? (Do you want to play for India or not?)"

"In these months, he has also realised the importance of fitness. He is 27 and at best he can play five to six more years, but if he improves his fitness, he can extend that by two more years," he says.

Mohsin has not only changed his lifestyle under Shami in these months, but he has also worked on his bowling.

"He has worked on his wrist position. He has added a few more steps to his run-up. It has helped him gain more rhythm," he says.



But for Badruddin, in Mohsin’s return to competitive cricket in almost two years, the most satisfying part remained his fielding.

"Aaj tak usne dive nahi maari life mein (He had never dived in his life). The good thing is he is not afraid anymore," he says.

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