Shami has been a cornerstone of India's recent Test triumphs, starring in series wins in Australia and dominant performances in England and South Africa. He was the leading wicket-taker of team India in the last three editions of the ODI World Cup, became the fastest Indian to complete 100 ODI wickets, and has the most number of consecutive four-wicket hauls—three—in the format.
Umesh said on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, “Shami was fighting with everything during that phase. He lived with me in my house. But when the fixing allegations with Pakistan broke and led to a probe that night, he was shattered. He said that I can tolerate everything but not allegations of betraying my country.”
“It also came in the news that he wanted to do something drastic that night [end his life]. It was around 4 AM in the morning when I got up to drink water. I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw that he was standing on the balcony. It was the 19th floor we were living in. I understood what happened. That night of Shami’s career, I feel, was the longest. Later, one day, when we were talking, he got a message on his phone saying he got a clean check from the committee that was investigating the matter. He was probably happier that day than he would have been if he had won a World Cup,” he added.