Shami turns up the intensity in his Red-ball return as he bowls 17 overs in his first taste of red-ball action.
Mohammed Shami has lost pace, but he is not rusty. He was not sharp, but was effective.
It has been a while that Shami has been focused on proving his red-ball fitness from a physical standpoint, because there has been no doubt that he is mentally ready for the grind again.
Shami’s return
On the opening day of the 2024–25 Duleep Trophy, Shami bowled 17 overs in four spells, becoming increasingly sharp as the day went on. After winning the toss, East Zone chose to bowl in the hazy conditions. He received the first over, and although he didn’t do much, he had good lines.
In his first spell, he bowled five overs, primarily inside himself, and gave up two maidens and 10 runs. Shami was clearly attempting to ease himself back into the red-ball grind by focussing more on his lengths and seam location.
Just before midday, Shami bowled his second session, which was a three-over burst that was quite similar to his first, during which he gave up ten runs. He occasionally drew incorrect shots and beat the hitters, but lacked the Shami’s razor-sharpness.
The Post-lunch charge
After the lunch break, that was different. Having achieved rhythm, there was a notable change in Shami’s run-up and delivery stride. In his third spell, he bowled five overs, including two maidens at the time, and gave up just nine runs. The batters were suddenly being thrashed for pace, even though they had been playing Shami rather comfortably up until that point. Now that he had discovered his lengths, Shami’s attention was on increasing his pace.
Out of the six bowlers East Zone deployed on the first day, Shami bowled the second-most overs, trailing only left-arm spinner Manishi, who bowled 19. He had no apparent problems during the day and plans to do more miles on the second day. Shami gave up one wicket and 55 runs in 17 overs overall.
A month and a half remains before India’s next Test series, which will be played at home against the West Indies. During the Duleep Trophy, Shami will try to work hard enough to convince the selectors that he is prepared to return to Test cricket.