Mohammed Shami has long last confided in the origin of his catchy nickname Lala. Although the fast bowler himself does not know where it originated, he is of the firm belief that Virat Kohli initiated it. The nickname has over the years remained with him in the dressing room.
Mohammed Shami on Virat Kohli’s Role in Nickname
Shami acknowledged that despite the fact that the name has become an inseparable part of the company, he does not find it natural. All members of the team including the new players, he says, now call him Lala. The thing that puzzles him is how a name that can be related to Shahid Afridi or jewelers in India has been given to him.
“I also do not know when it became permanent,” Shami revealed in an interview with News24. “It’s Virat’s doing. He only does such things. I was just thinking, one day, what kind of a name is Lala? Even Shahid Afridi had that name. But I did not understand why I had this name. Am I fat? There are people who do jewelry work who are called lala, but I don’t do that as well. I am not fat either. But when you come to the team, you get some names. If you try to argue about it, they irritate you more in the team. So I let it be,” he added.
The fast bowler replied that he never had any problem with the nickname since that would only deteriorate the situation in the team set up. Rather, he was willing to leave it to continue and now it is a natural extension of how he is referred to both on the field and off it.
Nicknames Among Indian Cricketers
Indian cricket has never lacked nicknames as a part of team bonding. The case of Mohammed Shami is only an example of this dressing-room culture. Even Virat Kohli was once referred to as Cheeku when he was a boy and the name is still commonly remembered by his fans.
Another popular nickname was the nickname dada that was used to refer to former captain Sourav Ganguly and became a symbol of respect towards his leadership. Team mates are not the only users of such names and they also become widely spread among the cricket fans becoming permanent identifications with the careers of the players.
Mohammed Shami acknowledged that the nickname seemed strange to him but now he is used to it as a part of himself. The use of light-heartedness has rendered the word Lala as a household and enjoyable component of his cricketing character.
Mohammed Shami Gives Injury Update
Other than talking about his nickname, Mohammed Shami also gave an essential update regarding his fitness. In recent months the pacer has been sidelined through injuries that have kept him off regular action with Team India. He made a brief comeback in the T20I series against England but he was not in full swing.
Shami was not chosen to take part in the England Test series and this cast doubt on his preparation. Nevertheless, the bowler affirmed that he has been working hard on his recovery and has long hours spent in the training ground to restore himself to competitiveness.
Shami Focused on Fitness and Comeback
“Touchwood it is better now. The last two months I have trained, increased my skills, shed weight and increased the load as well. Let’s see the result that I get now. My focus in on getting rhythm and to be able to bowl long spells. I have practiced on batting and fielding as well and done a lot of gym. Everything is comfortable now,” Shami stated.
Mohammed Shami emphasized that his priorities are to recover the rhythm and develop endurance. His return will enhance the pace attack with Team India gearing towards a hectic season so long as he does not get injured. His update already gave hope to the fans of his return to his fiery best in the nearest future.
The story of Shami about Lala could have been a joke in the dressing room, but now it has a heavy load among colleagues and followers. As his nickname does, his will to persevere and stay one of the most important figures in Indian cricket also makes his story.
