Chetan Sharma Says People Will Know Him Through Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami claimed his a hat-trick at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 against Afghanistan on Saturday to win the match for his team in the last over as India defeated Afghanistan by 11 runs. He became the second Indian to achieve this feat at the ICC Cricket World Cup after Chetan Sharma.

Chetan Sharma had claimed a hat-trick at the ICC Cricket World Cup 1987 against New Zealand. The Haryana paceman was glad to see Mohammad Shami taking a hat-trick as he feels that people will get to know his name after this hat-trick.

He said, “It is always a great feeling when your own countryman achieves something you did so many years ago. When Shami got his third wicket, I was immediately transported to Nagpur’s VCA Ground 32 years ago.

“The current generation may not know what I achieved three decades ago, but now they will know thanks to Shami,” he said, “The young generation will now know that the first World Cup hat-trick was taken by an Indian.”

Chetan Sharma recalled his day after taking the hat-trick in 1987. He said, “I had the world at my feet back then. The next day, when I boarded the flight with the team for the semifinal, all the passengers stood up and applauded for me as I made my way in. It was a memorable moment, I still get goosebumps thinking about it. To top that, the front page of Times of India too had my photo in it and it just made my day.”

Chetan Sharma also revealed some similarities with Mohammad Shami. “We both are right-arm fast bowlers and both got the leg-stump uprooted to get to our hat-tricks,” he said. “And yes, we both sport beards too.”

Chetan Sharma also revealed that people do not remember him for taking a hat-trick. He further added, “Many remember me as the one whom Miandad hit for a six in the last ball in Sharjah but they forget that I was the one who first got a hat-trick in a World Cup a year later.”