Duleep Trophy 2025: Mohammed Shami hits his stride on red-ball return

Bengaluru: Mohammed Shami is barely a week away from his 35th birthday and much slower than he once was, but the fire within hasn’t dimmed. Neither has the tenacity to fight. With several of his illustrious teammates having called it a day in recent times, Shami has received many not-so-subtle hints to walk off into the sunset. But the premier fast bowler isn’t throwing in the towel just yet, and as he reiterated just a couple of days ago, “The day I get bored, I will leave. You don’t pick me, don’t play me, I don’t care. But I will keep working hard.” Arguably one of India’s finest pace-bowling exponents, Shami has his focus set on the 2027 50-over World Cup. Mentally, he is all there. The question is, will his body hold up? His last appearance in the ODI format, after all, was in the Champions Trophy final in Dubai in March earlier this year. Playing in his first competitive red-ball game since Nov 2024, the Bengal pacer was slow but not rusty in the Duleep Trophy tie between East and North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here on Thursday. He bowled 17 overs spread over four spells, focusing more on accuracy rather than speed, on a surface that offered considerable bounce but little seam movement. He was effective but not incisive, looking primarily to test his injury-ravaged body. In his first spell of five overs, his inswingers from good length troubled the right-handers — openers Shubham Khajuria and Ankit Kumar, in particular — while his next spell of three overs was rather uneventful, barring a few edges towards fine leg. Post lunch, Shami switched ends and gears. He appeared to have assessed the conditions to his satisfaction, and his third spell of 4-2-9-0 was his best of the day. Shami was more probing, as he tempted Ayush Badoni and Yash Dhull in the corridor outside off. He finally struck late in the day with a delivery that sent back Sahil Lotra. Shami continued the probing line and in the 70th over, Lotra offered a thick edge to wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra. The catch was redemption for Kushagra, who had earlier dropped Kanhaiya Wadhwan off Shami. With rain ensuring an early end, it will be interesting to see how Shami and his new-ball partner Mukesh Kumar, who went out for nine overs due to a niggle, fare on a moist surface.