Although he will be missing his state team's Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Railways beginning on Wednesday, the pacer seized the opportunity to brush up his skills before the upcoming New Zealand series.
"I came down today for a good practice session before the New Zealand series," said Shami, who will be flying out to New Zealand with the Indian team next Saturday.
Having toured New Zealand earlier with India 'A', Shami is well aware of the conditions there. "New Zealand is not an unknown territory for me. I didn't find much difference in the character of the pitches in New Zealand and South Africa. They offer both bounce and carry. It was quite windy when I visited the country in 2012. I will be focusing on maintaining my line and length," Shami said.
Talking about his show in the recently-concluded tour of South Africa, Shami felt he is able to deliver only 80 per cent of his worth. "I had aimed to take 10-12 wickets in the two Tests, but I fell short of the target. I did not get much opportunity to bowl in the last Test (at Durban) as the conditions did not suit the pacers," the 23-year-old said.
The boy from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh has learnt a lot from sharing the dressing room with the seasoned Zaheer Khan. "It was the first time I shared the dressing room with him (Zaheer). He was very friendly and gave me vital bowling tips. I am working on them," he stated.
Clean bowling a top international batsman like Hashim Amla twice in the Test matches gave Shami a high. "It felt nice, but I don't differentiate between my opponents while bowling although we have specific plans for individual batsmen," Shami said, adding he enjoyed the confidence of his skipper and coach.
"I am lucky to get full backing of my coach and captain. Any bowler can bowl his heart out when he gets such support from the team," he remarked.
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