Mohammed Shami has not been in a wholly happy place in the last 20-odd months.

After losing more than a year to injuries, he was part of India’s 2025 Champions Trophy winning squad and played a full Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

But to miss out on two high-profile five-Test series in England and Australia because of a lack of match fitness would hurt the ego of any great fast bowler.

On Thursday, at the BCCI’s new Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, turning out for East Zone in a Duleep Trophy encounter against North, the pacer moved gingerly towards regaining his earlier aura. 

He hadn’t played a First-Class game since November 2024, and it was only his second since featuring in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia.

Shami, who opened the bowling, sent down 17 overs in all, conceding 55 runs and picking up one wicket. But he operated across four spells, with three of them coming under bright and intense sunshine.

Admittedly, he didn’t bowl at full tilt and built up pace only gradually. But he was threatening in his third spell (4-2-9-0) and duly picked up a wicket in the fourth (5-0-25-1), luring the right-handed Sahil Lotra to slash hard and edge behind.

Kanhaiya Wadhawan, batting on 42, could have been another victim, but for a drop from wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra when the batter was on 27.

Shami will soon be 35, an age when comebacks in the longest format are hard to stage. But his effort on Thursday appeared to suggest that the desire was still there.

Published on Aug 28, 2025