Shami played a big role in East Zone’s march to the Duleep Trophy final after 13 years, taking five wickets against Central Zone in the semifinal at Bengaluru.
The fire burns inside Mohammad Shami even after tallying 903 wickets in 100 first-class games, leaving East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan convinced about the pacer’s “hunger and motivation” to make an India comeback.
“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. “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. 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 added. “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.
Because who better than me to judge about hunger right now (hinting at Kishan’s time away from Indian cricket team for various reasons), i see that hunger in Shami bhai. Because shami bhai came in, asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets, this is something which always gives confidence to skippers, “Looking at his efforts as a captain, I felt very nice,. At 36, Shami is closer to the end of his career but Kishan said it has not prevented the Bengal man from asking for a few extra overs.
He has been picking wickets, giving all his energy and he has done so well for the Indian cricket team also,” Kishan told reporters in the pre-match press conference. “He has been doing so well, especially having him in our team…it gives us a bit of more confidence,” Kishan added. But Kishan said the long absence from top-flight cricket has not dulled Shami’s competitive spirit. South Zone skipper Tilak Varma too showered praise on Shami, but said his side is ready to take on the wily pacer.
