Hailing from a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, born to a fast-bowler-turned-farmer, Mohammed Shami’s father spotted a spark in only one of his five children (all aspiring fast bowlers) and took him to a renowned coach in Moradabad, the closest city to their village. A bundle of energy, he was known to be a hard-worker full of stamina and trained like a workhorse under the watchful eye of Badruddin Siddique.