Soon after starring with a five-wicket haul in Bengal’s 141-run win over Gujarat in a Group C Ranji Trophy match at the Eden Gardens, Mohammed Shami posted a picture of himself on social media. ‘Grateful for the rhythm and hard work paying off’, the post read. His second innings bowling figures were seen on the ball in Shami’s hand.
Rhythm has been the key to the veteran fast bowler’s effectiveness throughout his international career spanning more than a decade. Now that he has regained it, his childhood coach, Moradabad-based Mohammed Badruddin, believes the Shami of old is more or less back.
“His rhythm has returned and that happens when he is 100 percent match-fit. Rhythm is what matters when it comes to Shami. Once he gets his rhythm, he’s a different bowler. What I saw today was the Shami of old. I didn’t see anything missing. His seam position was good and he seemed to be enjoying bowling. Seam aisa chal raha tha ki pata hi nahi chalta batsmen ko ki kidhar chalega ball (seam position was so good that the batsmen didn’t know which way the ball would move),” Badruddin told The Indian Express on Tuesday.
Grateful for the rhythm and hard work paying off. 🙏
Always proud to represent my team. 💪 #RanjiTrophy #Shami #Bengal pic.twitter.com/0oXh29uFfh— 𝕸𝖔𝖍𝖆𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖉 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖒𝖎 (@MdShami11) October 28, 2025
Shami’s action looked smooth, he got the ball to angle in from around the wicket and move away from the left-hander, generated reverse swing later in the innings, and bowled a mean bouncer. The shiny side of the ball gleamed when he got the seam position spot on even though he seemed a few yards off his top pace.
With his eight-wicket match haul, Shami’s tally in two Ranji Trophy matches, the first being against Uttarakhand, is now 15. Above all, after a question mark over his fitness because of lack of enough matches under his belt – a reason given by chief selector Ajit Agarkar for his non-inclusion in the Indian team – Shami bowled 28.3 overs in the Gujarat game.
Speaking after the game, the 35-year-old, who played in this year’s IPL with limited success, said he had not lost the motivation to play for the country.
“My motivation is to stay fit and be available for the Indian team at all times. I will continue to perform and the rest is in the selectors’ hands. It’s a relief. Mentally, physically, it feels very good, because you are coming back from such a difficult time (injury). The time after the (2023) World Cup was tough. But then I played the Ranji Trophy, white-ball cricket, the IPL, Champions Trophy and Duleep Trophy (earlier this year). Now my rhythm is back to where it was before. I can clearly feel there’s still a lot of cricket left in me,” Shami said.
Bengal pacer Mohammed Shami holds up the ball in celebration after claiming a five-wicket haul on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (PTI Photo)
On song
With Gujarat chasing 327 for a win, Shami delivered with the very first ball of the innings – one that angled in and moved away – to dismiss opener Abhishek Desai, caught by wicketkeeper Abishek Porel. He also got the well-set Urvil Patel, who scored a century, to edge a ball that moved away but it was just wide of the wicketkeeper.
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The ball that curved in and rattled the stumps was too good for lower-order batsman Vishal Jayswal and a similar one got rid of Siddharth Desai. Medium-pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla was ill-equipped skill-wise to deal with the sharp bouncer that flew off his gloves to the wicketkeeper.
Badruddin says Shami would be ready for white-ball cricket if given an opportunity.
“After injury, it takes time for a bowler to get back into rhythm. There is a bit of difference between international and domestic games, but once he plays one international match, he will find his rhythm again. He has been bowling enough overs to prove that he is fit. He just needs to keep playing matches and the wickets will follow. Ideally, he should have been part of the India A squad that will play South Africa in the four-day games,” the coach said.
When he is back at his farmhouse in Sahaspur Alinagar village, Shami still rolls and waters the wicket on which he trains, and runs on a mud track.
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“Shami tells me he gets fitter faster when he is training at home. He has trained really hard to regain fitness. He is among the wickets also. Is there an outstanding bowler at the moment who can take Shami’s place? With his experience and skill, he remains a strike bowler.”
