East Zone pacer Mohammed Shami, who completed the Duleep Trophy 2026 campaign with seven wickets in three matches, has insisted that his job is to simply put in the hard work and leave the rest to the Almighty.
Speaking to reporters after East Zone bagged a title win over South Zone in the grand finale at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Shami revealed his mindset of making his opportunities count.
“My job is simply to put in the hard work; the rest is in the hands of Allah,” Shami said.
“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 added.
“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 noted.
Shami’s last international match was an ODI against New Zealand during India’s triumphant 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign in February. While Shami finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in that tournament, he has been sidelined across formats since then.
“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 concluded.
