CHENNAI: East Zone’s dressing room is quite unique; it features both a 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a 36-year-young Mohammed Shami. A veteran of the game, and a real Nokia phone in the day and age of fast-selling Androids and iPhones, Mohammed Shami is set to play his 100th first-class game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
While Shami wasn’t visible during the nets session before noon on Saturday, the 36-year-old quickly turned into a favourite topic at the pre-match press conference. East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan couldn’t stop praising Shami’s ‘hunger and desire’.
“He’s simply one of the best and a legend of the game,” Kishan said at the pre-match press conference.
“He has performed consistently ever since he started playing for Bengal—picking early wickets and giving all his energy—and he has done remarkably well for the Indian team.”
“Looking at his effort in previous matches, as a captain, it felt great to see Shami bhai asking for extra overs just to hunt for wickets. When you have bowlers eager to win games for you, it fills the skipper with confidence. Plus, he finished with two boundaries in the last game, so he's turning into an all-rounder these days!”
Despite turning 36 just days ago, the right-arm pacer bowled 32 overs in the Duleep Trophy semi-final clash against Central Zone, finishing with figures of 5/98.
“Age is just a number if a player works hard. Having Shami bhai gives our entire squad immense confidence. His approach, intensity, and energy this season have been different compared to the past, and it benefited us massively in the last match,” Kishan added.
“Our pace attack was notably sharper than the opposition's because of the sheer effort they put in. That said, it’s a fresh game starting from zero, and we expect him to replicate that impact.”
The 28-year-old also admitted that Shami’s ‘hunger’ sets him apart from others in the country right now. “When you aren't regularly playing for the national team, sustaining that same drive in domestic cricket can be tough. But I clearly see that hunger in him.”
A good showing against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday could go a long way towards bringing the 36-year-old back into the Indian scheme of things.