{"id":47166,"date":"2026-09-10T13:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/?p=47166"},"modified":"2026-09-10T13:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:38:12","slug":"more-than-a-year-away-from-team-india-but-mohammed-shami-refuses-to-slow-down-eyes-must-always-be-set-on-the-next-level-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/?p=47166","title":{"rendered":"More than a year away from Team India, but Mohammed Shami refuses to slow down: \u2018Eyes must always be set on the next level\u2019 | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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East Zone’s captain Ishan Kishan, right, and Mohammed Shami pose with the trophy after winning the Duleep Trophy 2026-27. (PTI Photo)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

CHENNAI: Mohammed Shami<\/a> has not played for India since March 2025 and his last Test appearance came more than three years ago, but the veteran pacer insists his motivation has not dipped. At 36, Shami says he remains driven to push himself towards the \u201cnext level\u201d of his career.Shami marked his 100th first-class appearance on Thursday with a Duleep Trophy triumph, as East Zone defeated South Zone on the basis of a first-innings lead. The veteran fast bowler played his part in the title clash, taking two important wickets as South Zone were bowled out for 336.His landmark appearance and East Zone’s title win offered Shami a moment of satisfaction, but his focus remained firmly on continuing to compete and improve despite being away from the international setup for more than a year.<\/p>\n

\u2018There are plenty of reasons to stay motivated\u2019<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Shami’s last appearance for India came in March 2025, while he has not featured in Test cricket since the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023.Despite the long international absence, the fast bowler said motivation is a personal responsibility and that he continues to set himself new targets.\u201cThere are plenty of reasons to stay motivated if you look for them. At this level, if you aren’t self-motivated, your approach is wrong. No matter what stage you\u2019re playing at, your eyes must always be set on the next level,\u201d Shami said after the Duleep Trophy final.The pacer also insisted that the level at which he gets an opportunity does not change his approach or his desire to contribute.\u201cWhen 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.\u201cMy mindset is simple: whichever level I get an opportunity to play, I want to make it count and fulfil my responsibility toward the team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

100th first-class match adds to special occasion<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Shami’s 100th first-class game coincided with East Zone ending their long wait for a Duleep Trophy title, making the occasion particularly significant for the Bengal pacer.\u201cAs far as satisfaction goes, achieving this in my 100th match\u2014and that too in a winning Duleep Trophy final\u2014is special. East Zone has won this after a very long time. You\u2019ve seen how we performed.\u201cEvery single boy put his heart and soul into this campaign to get us here. To achieve this in these conditions, in this heat, is outstanding. As for me, whether it\u2019s your first match or your 100th, it doesn\u2019t matter\u2014the effort and the approach remain exactly the same,\u201d he said.Shami’s continued performances in domestic cricket have also kept the conversation around his international future alive. But the pacer remains focused on what he can control rather than speculation over his India comeback.\u201cIt feels wonderful to receive so much love and support. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported me along the way.\u201cMy job is simply to put in the hard work\u2014the rest is in the hands of the Almighty,\u201d he signed off.<\/div>\n


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East Zone’s captain Ishan Kishan, right, and Mohammed Shami pose with the trophy after winning the Duleep Trophy 2026-27. (PTI Photo) CHENNAI: Mohammed Shami has not played for India since March 2025 and his last Test appearance came more than three years ago, but the veteran pacer insists his motivation has not dipped. At 36,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saharanews.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}