Mohammed Shami honoured for 100th first-class match as Duleep Trophy final begins

The Bengal Cricket Association felicitated pace bowler Mohammed Shami ahead of his landmark 100th first-class match, presenting him with a customised jersey bearing the number 100, a cricket ball signed by former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, and a silver trophy. CAB treasurer Sanjay Das conducted the ceremony, which took place before the Duleep Trophy final scheduled to begin on September 6 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan and vice-captain Vaibhav Suryavanshi attended the felicitation. Sanjay Das described Shami as "the pride of Bengal cricket and a great player," calling the honour "a small gesture from the state association for achieving this important milestone".

Ganguly's Message to East Zone

Sourav Ganguly sent a special message to the East Zone squad ahead of the final against South Zone. "You don't play a final match just to participate, you play to win. Play aggressively, support each other and make the East Zone's name shine. Bring the Duleep Trophy home, boys! Best of luck," Ganguly said.

The final will be played from 9:30 am, marking Shami's 100th first-class appearance.

Kishan Praises Shami's Hunger for Comeback

Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the final, Ishan Kishan praised Shami's determination to return to the Indian team. "I think he still has the hunger and motivation inside him. He wants to make a comeback. He wants to be part of Team India once again," Kishan said.

The East Zone captain highlighted how age is just a number for Shami, adding that the way he is working hard clearly shows his spirit. Kishan noted that Shami has consistently delivered outstanding performances for Bengal as well as the country, calling him a legend of Indian cricket.

Kishan admitted that maintaining the same passion for domestic cricket after being away from international cricket is not easy, but Shami shares his experience with other bowlers alongside his own performance. He said Shami's presence in the team gives him considerable confidence as captain, as the bowler proactively asks for overs to take wickets for the team.

Strong Domestic Record

Shami has taken 382 wickets in 99 first-class matches so far. His best performance is 8 wickets for 90 runs in an innings. He played a crucial role in helping East Zone reach the final, taking 5 wickets in the semi-final against defending champions Central Zone.

Away from International Cricket

Shami has been out of the Indian team and has not played any international match since the Champions Trophy final in March 2025. He was not named in the squads for the Afghanistan series or the Asian Games, and is currently not part of the Indian Test team's plans either.

In the 2025 Champions Trophy, Shami was jointly the highest wicket-taker for India with 9 wickets in 5 matches. Despite this strong performance in the tournament, he was dropped from the team and has not been able to find his way back since.

The 36-year-old had achieved the feat of taking the most wickets, 24 in just 7 matches, in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had already been dropped from the Test team before that, having last played a Test for India in June 2023, which was the World Test Championship final against Australia.

In his international career so far, Shami has played 64 Tests, 108 ODIs and 25 T20 Internationals. He has taken 229 Test wickets, 206 ODI wickets and 27 T20 International wickets.