When Mohammed Shami walks onto the MAC Stadium turf on Sunday for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, it will be a momentous occasion for the 36-year-old, who will be featuring in his 100th First Class match.
Last year, the pacer took 37 wickets in the Ranji Trophy from seven matches as Bengal narrowly missed out on making the summit clash. Shami can also be a great asset in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, a tournament where he boasts of a stellar record — 55 wickets at a world-leading average of 13.52. As he aims to return to the national team, Shami has been putting in the hard yards in domestic cricket. “It is hard when you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to have that kind of motivation for domestic games. But I see that hunger in him. India’s next Test tour is to New Zealand, where conditions will be seamer-friendly. In the last Duleep game against Central Zone in Bengaluru, the way Shami set up Yash Rathod — testing the batter outside the off-stump, softening him up with a few bouncers before nipping one away to get him caught behind — showed a bowler still at the top of his game.