'Failing yo-yo test was blessing in disguise for Shami', says Shankar Basu

Dubai: India cricket team's strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu believes that failing yo-yo test was a 'blessing in disguise' for pacer Mohammed Shami as his determination increased many folds following the incident.

"Failing the fitness test was a blessing in disguise. After that, he (Mohammed Shami) was a changed man. He was so determined, and I think he is also blessed with some amazing genes," ICC quoted Basu, as saying.

"We all talk about intermittent fasting, and Mohammed Shami does intermittent fasting inadvertently. He doesn't even know what it is, but he does it on his own," Basu added.

Basu further said that Shami has changed his entire training regimen and this is the 2.0 version of the 28-year-old pacer.

"I think his distribution of fat, we have done his fat testing over three years and it is the same, he is a piece of work. The best part is he has changed his entire training regimen. I think training is now part of his lifestyle, which never used to be the case before," he said.

"Everything has changed over the last three-four years. He wasn't the last person to get on to the bus, but after personal setbacks and failing that fitness test, he is a changed man. This is (the) 2.0 version of Mohammed Shami," he said.

Shami is likely to feature in the team's upcoming games in the World Cup as Bhuvneshwar Kumar is out briefly due to a hamstring injury.

India will next compete against Afghanistan on June 22.