Mohammed Shami fastest Indian to claim 100 ODI wickets | Photo Credit: AP

Indian speedster Mohammed Shami didn't play much One-Day International cricket in 2018 but the later phase of the year saw him re-establish himself for the Men in Blue. Having impressed with the ball in the 3-match ODI series against Australia, Shami went on to clinch a big record in the first ODI against New Zealand at Napier as he became the fastest to claim 100 wickets (in terms of number of matches) in the format for the country, reaching the landmark in 56 matches.

Earlier, Irfan Pathan held the record having achieved the milestone in 59 matches. He is followed by Zaheer Khan (65), Ajit Agarkar (67) and Javagal Srinath (68). Shami reached a tally of 100 scalps on the 5th ball of the second over of opening ODI of the series as he bowled Kiwi opener Martin Guptill.

Shami was the fourth most successful bowler in Australia, bagging 5 wickets in 3 matches, after Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8), Jhy Richardson (6) and Yuzvendra Chahal (6). In Jasprit Burmah's absence, the responsibility was on Shami's shoulders to share the workload with the other senior pacer Bhuveneshwar and the Amroah-born cricketer didn't disappoint.

Marking his arrival on the Kiwi side, Shami took only 5 balls to bag his first victim before sending Colin Munro back in the hut too, on the third delivery of the 4th over of the match. With the dismissal of Munro, Shami moved his wicket tally in ODI cricket to 51 scalps.

With the sort of performances, Shami has been putting since the Australia series, the speedster looks set to play a crucial role in the Indian squad for the ICC World Cup where he is likely to become a key member of the pace-bowling attack India are looking to build, becoming a central figure alongside Bhuvi and Bumrah.

As for the first ODI in Napier, India sent the Kiwis on the backfoot by bagging two wickets in the first four overs of the match. The departure of both the openers brought the experienced pairing of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor on the crease, with the responsibility lying on the two stalwarts' shoulders to resurrect the innings.