I haven't worked hard enough, says Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami is part of a bunch of young pace bowlers jostling for spots in the Indian team, across formats, and has done reasonably well in his 11 One-Day Internationals so far. Shami hasn't had much joy in terms of wickets playing for India A against West Indies A in the four-day game in Mysore, though he managed to trouble the batsmen consistently despite little help from the conditions. Shami spoke to Wisden India about bowling on flat and slow pitches, and trying to push his case with the national selectors. Excerpts:

There's been a lot of talk about the slowness of the Mysore pitch and how pacers have had little to do. Tell us about your experience.

I'd heard a lot about the Mysore pitch, about how it has good bounce and how pace bowlers have a good time. After we reached Mysore, we hardly got a look at the pitch because of the rains, so we went by what we had been told and picked three medium pacers in the team. But this has nothing for pacers. Then again, it's the sort of pitch we are used to in India, so it's good not to get a great pitch that would spoil us (pacers). This is good preparation for the next few matches.

Having already played for India, how do you approach a situation where you know you are unlikely to get wickets?

You learn to live with it and deal with it. Around 80% of pitches in India are slow. Very rarely do you get a pitch with good bounce and carry. It's exciting when you get those pitches - you feel that yes, I can do some damage here. But most of the time, all you can do is stick to a line and length and keep bowling there, hoping for the batsman to make a mistake. There really isn't much more you can do.

Where do you think your career is at the moment?

I don't know what people think about me. If I am playing for India A and occasionally for India, I must be doing all right. But at the same time, I don't think I have done enough to be taken seriously. I know I want to become a Test cricketer, but I don't think I have worked hard enough to get there. The way I see it, I should get myself to a position where I can say that I have done as much as I could. If, after that, I don't play Test cricket, at least I can't blame myself for not giving it my best. I don't think I have reached there yet.

By that, do you mean your skills, your fitness or your training?

Not fitness or training. These days, because of the India A matches, we have camps all the time, even in the off season, so we are very much in touch and in training. In some ways, playing matches is more relaxing; it's more strenuous when you're in the nets or in one of the training camps. I am talking more in terms of the focus, in terms of doing as well as I can each time I get an opportunity.

You've been a part of the India A set-up for a while now. How much has that helped your growth?

It's fantastic. It's a step above the Ranji Trophy level, because you get to play teams from other parts of the world. Many of the players you play against have played Test cricket, and you also play around the world. There's no negative about being an India A player. It's all good. Half the players in the India A team too have represented India, so the standard is almost always very good. It's a competitive environment and useful in the growing process of a player.

How important is the upcoming domestic season for someone like you, currently on the periphery of the Indian team?

I am trying, doing my best. I am hoping to get a chance in the Test team. If I can get in, that would be fantastic. But whether it's the Indian team or the India A team or the Ranji Trophy, the four-day season is around the corner. The idea is to prepare as well as I can. Right now is the best time to prepare ahead of a very hectic season, especially in terms of my fitness, because once the season takes off, the focus is more on matches and not so much on fitness.

What do you make of the competition you are up against? A fully fit Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar apart, where do you see yourself?

There is a lot of competition and it's good. I am competing with (Ashok) Dinda and Ishwar (Pandey), both of whom are also in the India A side. I have bowled a lot with Dinda over the years (for Bengal) and Ishwar is a very good bowler; he is tall and bowls good lengths. I don't think it makes sense for me to compare myself with the others, that's for the selectors to do. They must compare all of us and see who is best. I can only do what I can do. If I do get selected, at whatever level, I must do well.

How big a change is it when you go from the Bengal or Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room to the Indian dressing room?

As a cricketer, it's a massive difference. At the domestic level, a mistake or three is forgiven. When you play for India, even the slightest mistake is punished because there is such a huge gulf in class. Each step of the way, you realise why international cricket is international cricket and everything else is a notch below. The game is the same, but there is a difference in class. Everything is different.

Bengal has never had so many cricketers representing India. Despite that, why is the team not doing better in first-class cricket?

You tell me, I still haven't figured it out. It's beyond my understanding. We worked as hard as possible, but we couldn't pull it off last season. I think we did well with the ball, but the batting pulled us down. Manoj (Tiwary) couldn't play much, so that made a difference. If our full team were to play, we would be strong. But apart from Manoj, our batting unit is not very consistent. The bowling is good, but that's not enough.