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Fast bowler Mohammed Shami has revealed that he has been eating only once a day since 2015 to maintain his fitness. After his heroic performance against Bangladesh in India's first match of the Champions Trophy, Shami was asked about his diet plan and how he managed to reduce his weight during his injury layoff. Speaking on Star Sports, the pacer explained that since 2015, he has skipped both breakfast and lunch every day, only eating dinner. He further added that during his injury layoff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, he lost 9 kilograms.
Shami's response came after former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu joked that Shami must have lost 5-6 kilograms of weight in the last year. Shami interrupted Sidhu and said, "Paaji, 9 kg giraya hai (I have lost nine kilograms)."
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The fast bowler explained that during his rehabilitation process, his weight had reached nearly 90 kilograms, and he had to work hard to bring it down. He added that he is not an avid eater and doesn't have many cravings in the first place.
"The most difficult part is challenging yourself. When I was at the NCA, my weight was close to 90 kg. I don't crave unhealthy food. I stay away from sweets," Shami said.
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Earlier, Bengal bowling coach Shiv Sunder Das mentioned that Mohammed Shami had to give up his beloved biryani during his comeback. Shami played several matches for Bengal in the domestic circuit during the 2024-25 season before returning to the Indian team for the white-ball series against England.
"He was on a strict diet. I saw him eating only one meal a day. He loves having biryani, but I haven't seen him indulge in it in the last two months since he returned to action," Das said in January 2025.
Shami confirmed this but added that occasionally he does break his strict diet routine and enjoys biryani.
"And since you're talking about biryani, yaar kabhi kabhi cheat meal chalta hai (Once in a while, you can have that cheat meal)," Shami laughed.
"Since 2015, I've only eaten once a day. I've skipped breakfast and lunch all these years. I only eat dinner. It's a difficult thing to do, but once you get used to it, it becomes easy," concluded the India pacer.
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