Mohammed Shami and Shikhar Dhawan spent nearly a decade together in the Indian dressing room, with Shami leading the pace attack and Dhawan playing a key role at the top of the order. Their long association allowed them to witness several memorable victories as well as difficult phases for the national team. During that period, Dhawan also became known for bringing energy and positivity to the dressing room. Shami recently recalled how Dhawan’s unique personality helped the team deal with defeats.

According to the veteran fast bowler, Dhawan never allowed a disappointing result to turn the dressing room into a gloomy place. Instead, he would often do something unexpected to make his teammates laugh and lift the mood. “Shikhar is very funny. Say we lost a match, everyone comes and sits in the change room. Shikhar wants to do something different. He will just laugh very loudly,” Mohammed Shami said on CricketNextOfficial.

The fast bowler recalled that Dhawan would sometimes stand on a table and dance to Punjabi music, even after a defeat. While his antics were unconventional, they helped players move on from the disappointment and maintain a positive atmosphere.

“If I ask why are you laughing, he says because we lost. He does such things. Anytime, he will stand on the table and start dancing to Punjabi music. These things create that atmosphere in the dressing room,” Mohammed  Shami added.

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According to Shami, Dhawan understood that cricket is filled with both success and failure, particularly for players who spend almost the entire year competing. His ability to create lighter moments helped teammates avoid dwelling too long on a poor result.

Shami also opened up about his own first experience inside the Indian team dressing room. The pacer admitted that he was overwhelmed when he walked into his first team meeting because he was surrounded by players whose names he had grown up admiring. “The first time I joined the Indian team, I did not know how things were. There was a team meeting a day before the game. When I walked in through the door and looked around, there was not one name that had not come in my dream. I just sat quietly,” Shami recalled.

He revealed that Yuvraj Singh then asked him to stand on a chair and deliver a speech. Nervous and overwhelmed by the occasion, MohammedShami struggled to find the words and could only introduce himself and mention where he came from. That nervous newcomer eventually developed into one of India’s premier fast bowlers. Shami has represented India across formats and was also part of the team that won the 2025 Champions Trophy.

However, his international career has entered an uncertain phase. Shami has remained active in domestic cricket for Bengal and continues to perform well, but the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has not recalled him to the national side. At 35, the experienced pacer will still have ambitions of returning for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

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Shami was India’s leading wicket-taker at the 2019 ODI World Cup and remains one of the country’s most accomplished fast bowlers. His next opportunity to impress the selectors will come in the Duleep Trophy, where he has been selected fothe r East Zone.

East Zone will be led by Ishan Kishan, with young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named his deputy. With several prominent Indian players expected to feature in the competition, Shami will have an important platform to showcase his fitness, rhythm, and wicket-taking ability. A strong Duleep Trophy campaign could strengthen his case for another India comeback.