There is never a dull moment when Mohammed Shami is bowling. His easy run-up and delivery stride enables him to land the ball perfectly, forcing the batsman to make contact with the ball often. Shami also has the steep bouncer and it can rattle the best in the business as Marlon Samuels found out upon his arrival in the second innings in the Jamaica Test. His fuller one comes with a speed and it can either knock down a stump or take an outside edge. Watching him bowl is a joy as he seldom strays in his line. The joint-quickest Indian fast bowler to 50 wickets, Shami has picked up eight wickets from the two Tests in the series far. The way he has bowled, it hasn’t looked like he is returning from an injury. In a chat with BCCI.TV, Shami spoke about the effort that had gone into shedding those extra kilos he had piled after being forced to the bed for two months. Head Coach Anil Kumble has praised your bowling and called your spell on the fourth day of the second Test as the best ever. It must be a huge morale booster. I am very happy that he is pleased with my bowling and has shown confidence in my abilities. When I bowl, I look to keep it close to the batsman and make him play as much as possible with both the new and the old ball. If you bowl wide and the batsman lets the ball go, you end up wasting time and we did not have much time in the second match due to rain. It is not easy for the fast bowler to bowl with the same rhythm post injury, but you have managed to do that after injury, I could not walk and was on crutches for two months. I had decided that in my comeback game for India, I should have the same bowling rhythm as my last game. It required a lot of hard work. I had gained 15 kg and was weighing 90 kg. My biggest concern was shedding the extra kilograms that had piled up. It took me four months to lose 14 kg and now I weigh the same as before. Losing weight may also result in loss of strength and muscle mass. How did you work on that? I kept working in the gym for up to six hours every day. I was overweight, I had to get back in shape and after that, the challenge was to bowl in the same manner as I used to. It was a really tough phase it required tremendous hard work. Thanks to the Almighty that I have achieved the same rhythm as before. I had given full freedom to our trainers and coaches. I told them, “You put me through any sort of discomfort and I am ready to bear the pain. Treat me the way you wish to, but make sure I am back to my best". For a fast bowler returning from an injury, there is a worry of a recurrence of the injury. You did not hold back and bowled your heart out. I had taken so much load in the last eight months that fear inside me was killed. Nothing scared me anymore. I gave it all in my rehabilitation and thus was fully prepared for the first Test in Antigua. India did well in the second Test but had a tough final day. How do you look at the upcoming Test in St. Lucia? We lead the series 1-0 and our confidence is high. In the remaining two Tests, we will look to win and extend the lead. On the last day, the track had gotten slow and the West Indies batsmen batted really well. In the two games, India have fielded a three-prong pace attack. All three of you are looking to bowl aggressively. The combination is working well. It is a very good combination with three fast bowlers and two spinners. It gives an opportunity to all the bowlers to have breaks and take a breather. We are putting in a lot of efforts and the results are definitely showing. A long season is coming up once the India team returns home. Managing your workload is going to be crucial as India are set to play 13 Test matches? Yes, it’s a long season and managing the workload is going to be very important. What you do during breaks and off days will count. For a fast bowler, it is important that he works on his recovery sessions and stays fit.