Mohammad Shami is on the verge of making his 100th first-class appearance in the Duleep Trophy final for East Zone against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
On the eve of the marquee domestic clash, East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan strongly backed the 36-year-old pacer, dismissing concerns over his age and stressing that Shami retains the "hunger and motivation" required to make a successful India comeback.
Shami played a pivotal role in guiding East Zone to their first Duleep Trophy final in 13 years. In a tightly contested semifinal at Bengaluru, he claimed five wickets across two innings against Central Zone and later hit the winning runs to lock in a 4-wicket victory.
“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, giving all his energy and he has done so well for the Indian cricket team also,” Kishan told reporters on Saturday (September 5).
“It's hard to say when it comes to age, I feel age is just a number. If he is working hard it doesn't matter. I see that hunger in Shami bhai because who better than me to judge about hunger right now (hinting at Kishan's time away from Indian cricket team for various reasons).
“He has been doing so well, especially having him in our team…it gives us a bit of more confidence,” Kishan added.
Shami might be at the twilight of his career, but Kishan said it has not prevented the veteran quick from asking for a few extra overs.
“Looking at his efforts as a captain, I felt very nice, because Shami bhai came in, asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets, this is something which always gives confidence to skippers. When you have bowlers who are willing to get you wickets. So, it's always good to have him in the team.
“He also finished with two boundaries, so he is an allrounder I feel nowadays. So I am very happy to have him in my team,” he stated.
Kishan pointed out two major things that set Shami apart. “Looking at Shami bhai this season, I feel he has been very different, how I have seen him in past, but his approach towards the game, his intensity, his energy has been very different.”
“You know 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 is tough. He has that hunger and that motivation right now like he wants to do that comeback. He wants to be part of the Indian squad again and you can see it in him,” he explained.
Kishan emphasized that despite Shami’s prolonged absence from the national setup, his competitive spirit hasn’t diminished one bit.
“When he is trying to help me when I am leading the side…he is trying to come to me, give me options of what you can do. I think these things you can pick from a player whether he is willing to win you this game or not. That is something which all our boys are trying to do and we have been on the winning side,” he remarked.
On the opposing side, South Zone skipper Tilak Varma acknowledged Shami's masterful execution in dismantling batters during the last match but expressed firm confidence that his squad is well-prepared to counter the veteran pacer's lethal spell.
“It will be a good competition for us playing against Shami bhai. We have seen in the last game how he set up the batters and took that wicket. But we know that we are pretty confident for that challenge. That is why you love the sport. So, we prepared enough for that and we are ready to take him on,” said Tilak.
(With PTI Inputs)
