Picture Credit: BCCI
Indian speedster Mohammed Shami turned 31 on September 3. While he was resting on his birthday as he was not included in the Playing XI of the ongoing fourth Test match against England at The Oval due to a slight niggle, members of the cricket fraternity, as well as fans, took to social media to wish him on his special day. Many netizens even hailed him as one of the best Indian pacers in modern-day cricket.
While there were many wishes for Shami from his teammates, one cheeky wish that stood out was from wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant. The Delhi Capitals star tried to pull Shami's leg reminding Shami that he was getting old quickly but at the same time he was bowling at a brisk pace.
"@MdShami11 bhai, ball aur umar dono tezi se nikli jaa rahi hai. Happy birthday!" Pant wrote in his tweet. However, Shami, who is known for his off-the-field humour, made a hilarious response to the Tweet. His one-liner has left the netizens in splits and has also silenced the usually talkative and cheerful Pant. The right-arm speedster took a dig at Rishabh's weight and told him that no one can stop the increasing age but there is definitely a possibility of controlling obesity.
"Apna time aayega beta ball or Umar ko koi nahi rook saka but motape ka treatment aaj bhi hota hai @RishabhPant 17," Shami wrote.
Check out their social media exchange here:
Mohammed Shami has 11 wickets in 3 Tests in the England series
It has been a great series for Shami in England so far. The Punjab Kings pacer has looked threatening against the Three Lions. The fast bowler has caused a lot of trouble to the Englishmen with his accuracy and pace and has scalped 11 wickets in the Three tests so far. He has even impressed some of the English cricket experts and pundits.
Fans were also seeing chanting his name at The Oval on his birthday with a fan even being spotted wearing a "‘Happy Birthday Shami" T-shirt. Meanwhile, the team members also celebrated Shami's birthday after the end of the day's play at the Oval.