Ind vs SL | Pollution is a problem: Mohammed Shami

A day after Team India showed solidarity in ignoring visiting Sri Lankan players’ concerns over the high pollution levels around Ferozeshah Kotla on Sunday, Indian speedster Mohammed Shami agreed that “pollution is a problem” on Monday.

Shami did try and make sense of the India’s stand. “Obviously, this pollution is a problem but it wasn’t as much as it was being shown. It could be that we’re used to it,” said Shami, adding: “It is possible that we’ve been bearing it for some time now. People are now used to bearing the problem.”

About butter fingers shown by Indians in the field dropping three catches, Shami said. “Fielders are not machines that they will grab anything that comes their way. Yes, you might get angry when a catch is dropped but as a unit we are playing round the year for the country. It’s a part and parcel of the game, you have to ignore.”

Shami, however, was forthright in calling last two Test match wickets as not ideal for South Africa preparation.  “The kind of wickets we wanted to play on before going to South Africa, we haven’t been provided with those kind of wickets. So it didn’t go as per our plans,” he said.