CHENNAI: As the Lucknow Super Giants walked onto the field after a disappointing show with the bat against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday, veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami was given the responsibility to bring the hosts back in the game. Earlier, the fans at the Ekana Stadium witnessed their team skittled out for 141 runs.
With a lot expected from him, Shami started full an outswinger to Delhi opener KL Rahul with a bit of width, and the batter sliced up to Mohsin Khan at deep backward point. Shami's eyes glowed, as he got the prized scalp. The stadium was a mixture of excitement and disbelief. After bowling two wides, Shami angled the ball into Nitish Rana as it hit the pad. He followed it up with a fuller delivery, angling in from outside off. After seeing the next ball go for four, Shami brought the bouncer, showing just how dangerous he could be.
Four dots, a boundary, a single, two wides and a first-ball wicket. That over gave the team confidence, and for Shami, it was more than that. The Bengal pacer, in the Ranji Trophy semifinal in February, almost single handedly bowled Jammu and Kashmir out with his career-best figures of 8/90 across formats. He also left his mark in white-ball tournaments. While he scalped 16 wickets in the 2025/26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) in seven games, he went on to take 15 wickets in the seven List A Vijay Hazare Trophy matches.
On his debut for the Lucknow franchise, he regularly bowled at and above 135 kmph. This is considering the loss of pace he had post the injury he had after the ODI World Cup in 2023. In his first match post the injury in late 2024, Shami scalped seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. But his reduced pace did not help in what followed a forgettable Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy knockouts in Bengaluru in December 2024.
Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired his services in the 2025 edition but he managed just six wickets from nine matches that only added pressure on him. And if that was enough, he was overlooked by the national selectors even if he toiled on the field representing his domestic side in various tournaments.
It even made him to come out in open and announce that he is still fit to play the shortest format of the game. "As far as the IPL is concerned, look at my record. No other Indian bowler comes close to me. Look at the last 5-6 years. I have picked close to 130 (134) wickets. What more do you want?” Shami said on a podcast.
Shami proved that on Wednesday as bowled an economical spell giving away just 28 runs from his four overs. The start he gave meant LSG looked in the game with fellow pacer Prince Yadav picking up two wickets. At one point of time, Delhi Capitals were reduced to 26/4 but local lad Sameer Rizvi (70 not out) along with Tristan Stubbs (unbeaten 39) made sure the visitors won the game comfortably at the end.
