CHENNAI: Even as the sun was beating down at the MA Chidambaram Stadium by Saturday afternoon, the groundstaff were watering and checking the bounce on the red soil surface that will be used for the final between East Zone and South Zone. The summit clash, to be played in front of fans who will have free entry, is expected to attract the cricketing fraternity's attention over the next five days. And with good reason.
From T20I stars like Tilak Varma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan to red-ball stars like Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj, the line-up boasts of India internationals across both teams. However, it is not just about them. The tournament, and the final in itself, holds significance for the domestic stars for their own reasons. Among them, Mohammed Shami and Shreyas Gopal will be playing their 100th first-class match. Shami was understandably the talk of the pre-match press conference on the eve of the final.
The Bengal pacer, who last played for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy, has toiled hard in domestic cricket for more than three years to make a comeback to the national team. A long road of injuries, coupled with age and the team going into transition mode, meant the 64-Test veteran has been out of favour since the 2023 World Test Championship final.
And yet, Shami, who has a prolific record in red-ball cricket, has taken every chance to play domestic cricket across formats over the last two years. He may not be the same bowler from his prime; the pace might not be the same either. However, the almost-perfect seam position and the release are still there. So is the hunger to break the doors down and make a comeback.
Ask Ishan Kishan, his captain in the East Zone team, and the reply was instant. “I think he is just one of the best. He has been a legend of this game; he has been doing so well since he started playing for Bengal. He has been picking wickets, early wickets, giving all his energy, and he has done so well for the Indian cricket team, especially looking at the previous matches as well,” Kishan said. “Looking at the effort as a captain, I felt very nice, because Shami bhai coming in, asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets, I think this is something which always gives confidence to skippers as well. When you have your bowlers in the team who are willing to get you wickets, it's always good to have him in the team, plus he finished with two boundaries, so he is an all-rounder, I feel nowadays. So I am very happy to have him in my team,” the skipper complimented.
Kishan, on a comeback journey himself in red-ball cricket after successfully doing so in T20Is, felt Shami still has the hunger in him even though time has passed since he last played. “I feel age is just a number. If he is working hard, it doesn't matter, to be very honest. Looking at Shami bhai this season, I feel he has been very different from how I have seen him in the past, but his approach towards the game, his intensity, his energy have been very different, which played on different parts of us. I think that was the most important thing in the last year. I think our pace bowlers were a bit different from theirs; they put in a lot of effort, but at the same time I feel again it is a new game and you know we will have to start from zero. So I think he will do the same job for us again,” Kishan said.
“It has been three years since that World Cup; it is hard when you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to again have that same kind of motivation for your domestic games. It is tough, but I feel I see that hunger in him because who better than me can judge hunger right now. When he is trying to help me, and also when I am leading the side, he is trying to come to me and give me options for what you can do right now. I think these things you can pick from a player, whether he is willing to win you this game or not, and that is something which all our boys are trying to do, and we have been on the winning side,” he lauded the 36-year-old.
Tilak Varma, South Zone skipper, too, was high on praise for Shami while reiterating that they are ready for the challenge and take on the senior pacer. Will Shami play for India again, or whether this road would lead him back to the top level are questions no one can answer at the moment. What can be said for certain is that over the next five days, Shami will hold the new red ball in his hand, run in and release it in his picture-perfect seam position, trying to dismantle the South Zone batting line-up. And for as long as he is willing to do that, the fans who will turn up at the stadium, and those who are tuning in, will try to enjoy the privilege of watching Shami bowl.
