CHENNAI: Mohammed Shami had a wide grin as he approached the media at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Minutes ago, he was taking pictures with his East Zone teammates as they were celebrating their first Duleep Trophy title win since 2012.
In a team that has Ishan Kishan, who scored 350 runs across two innings in the final, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who has been a crowd puller, somehow, the 36-year-old veteran India pacer remains the central figure. He exudes satisfaction, jokes about how his cricketing career is older than Sooryavanshi, has his share of fun with the teenager, who too enjoys a good rapport with the senior. He catches up with his former India teammate and partner-in-crime Mohammed Siraj after a bad day for the latter, signs autographs for the fans who had turned up despite the gruelling heat and humidity in Chennai.
While doing all that, Shami retains his motivation and hunger to turn up and run in to make an impact for the team he is playing for. On a placid pitch which had little to no help, Shami, along with Mukesh Kumar, made the ball swing and reverse in the one innings he bowled.
He knows this tournament win is special and not just because it was his 100th first-class match. Shami was also there in the East Zone team that won the Duleep title for the first time in 2011-12 when he took eight wickets in the final. "As far as satisfaction goes, achieving this in my 100th match — and that too in a winning Duleep Trophy final — is special," he told the reporters on Thursday.
"To achieve this in these conditions, in this heat, is outstanding. A massive well done to all the boys, and the support staff contributed immensely. As for me, whether it’s your first match or your 100th, it doesn’t matter — the effort and the approach remain exactly the same," he added.
While refraining from commenting on selections and comebacks, Shami was candid about his motivation to play for the badge on the jersey irrespective of the team. The 64-Test veteran laughs when asked how he managed to extract movement when South Zone pacers, including Siraj, struggled in the first two days.
"I’m always learning — that’s the right word," he laughed. "I constantly strive to keep learning. In conditions like these, you can’t expect much conventional swing, and the bounce was quite low. In Bengaluru, conditions favoured the bowlers far more, so coming here was a stark contrast. But that doesn't mean you stray from your basics. My approach was strictly about sticking to my line and length. I trust my line and length completely, and that's where I try to create wickets from. And honestly, if you can't exploit reverse swing in this kind of heat, what's the point?"
Though Shami makes reverse swing and short spell exploits look easier than most, it is not just fun; he calls it a tactical battle. He explains how one cannot go into first-class matches without planning and set up for individual batters as he did for Shaik Rasheed. "The real test is when conditions don't suit you. That’s when delivering for your team matters most. That’s when your skill is tested in its purest form. Whenever challenging situations arise, I want to put my hand up and deliver for the side. Test cricket is entirely a game of set-ups. If top-order batters are set, you cannot get them out without a plan. Wickets don’t just happen out of nowhere, especially on tracks like this. The plan was to keep taking the ball away from him (Rasheed), build that expectation, and then bring one back in sharply to trap him. That’s precisely how it unfolded," he explained.
At 36, Shami's last Test for India was the 2023 World Test Championship final. His last ODI was in the 2025 Champions Trophy. While the selectors, it seems, have moved on from Shami, the veteran has been toiling hard in domestic cricket across formats over the last 18 months. Shami, while explaining how he is self-motivated, makes it a point to acknowledge and appreciate the love and appreciation from the fans on social media.
"There are plenty of reasons to stay motivated if you look for them. You can draw positivity from this ground or any ground you step onto. At this level, if you aren't self-motivated, your approach is wrong. No matter what stage you are playing at, your eyes must always be set on the next level. It feels wonderful to receive so much love and support, especially seeing all the backing across social media. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported me along the way. My job is simply to put in the hard work — the rest is in the hands of the Almighty," he said with a wide smile before walking back to join his teammates and celebrate.
And why not, he has earned his right to put his feet up and celebrate with his East Zone teammates. But come tomorrow, expect Shami to wake up and do the work all over again.