India’s veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami is not throwing in the towel as far as his national selection is concerned. Shami last played for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy and since then he hasn’t been considered for selection despite decent performances at the domestic level.

The fast bowler is ticking the right boxes, getting wickets and he is repeatedly telling the selectors: he is here. On a flat deck at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, Shami showed what he can do with his experience.

He got the ball to seam and swing, hit the right areas, commanding the ball like a puppet master. It was a show to behold and the ball was listening to Shami’s commands like a well-trained pet. Shami returned with figures of 2-42 in 16 overs he bowled, accounting for Shaik Rasheed and Smaran Ravichandran.

“My job is simply to put in the hard work—the rest is in the hands of Allah,” he said as quoted by Indian Express, pointing his hands upwards. 

A call-up is nowhere in sight, but the veteran isn’t giving up. “There are plenty of reasons to stay motivated if you look for them. You can draw positivity from this ground or any ground you step onto. At this level, if you aren’t self-motivated, your approach is wrong. No matter what stage you’re playing at, your eyes must always be set on the next level,” he said.

Shami sent a message across. “I always say this: ‘You play for the badge’. When you wear that crest on your chest, the level of cricket doesn’t matter. If you play for the badge, that hunger will naturally show. Your willingness to fight only grows when you play with that pride. My mindset is simple: whichever level I get an opportunity to play, I want to make it count and fulfil my responsibility toward the team,” he added, pointing to the crest.

Shami admitted he is always learning how to get better at his craft.

“I’m always learning. In conditions like these, you can’t expect much conventional swing, and the bounce was quite low. In Bengaluru, conditions favoured the bowlers far more, so coming here was a stark contrast. But that doesn’t mean you stray from your basics. I trust my line and length completely, and that’s where I try to create wickets from. Honestly, if you can’t exploit reverse swing in this kind of heat, what’s the point?” he said.

“It turns into a completely different tactical battle. When conditions are in your favour, executing plans is straightforward. The real test is when conditions don’t suit you — that’s when delivering for your team matters most. That’s when your skill is tested in its purest form. Whenever challenging situations arise, I want to put my hand up and deliver for the side,” he added.

“Test cricket is entirely a game of setups. If top-order batters are set, you cannot get them out without a plan. Wickets don’t just happen out of nowhere, especially on tracks like this. The plan was to keep taking the ball away from him, build that expectation, and then bring one back in sharply to trap him. That’s precisely how it unfolded,” he said.

Shami scalped seven wickets in three matches of the Duleep Trophy at an average of 26.57.