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Shami's Red-Ball Comeback Goes Wrong As India Ace Struggles With Form In Duleep Trophy

Debashis Sarangi

Mohammed Shami failed in Duleep Trophy 1st innings [Source: @weRcricket/X]Mohammed Shami failed in Duleep Trophy 1st innings [Source: @weRcricket/X]

Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami had a forgettable time with the ball in East Zone's Duleep Trophy quarterfinal against North Zone. Led by Riyan Parag, East Zone crossed swords against their counterparts from the North in the first quarterfinal of the famed domestic competition. However, Shami couldn't make an impactful return to competitive cricket, recording ordinary figures in the high-octane clash. 

Mohammed Shami Looks Lacklustre In Duleep Trophy

After winning the toss, Riyan Parag, leading East Zone in the absence of Ishan Kishan and vice-captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, decided to field first. Considering a fresh surface was dished out for the encounter, the East Zone skipper expected his premier pacers, particularly Mohammed Shami, to ensure a dream start for the team. 

However, contrary to his expectations, Shami had an off day, with the North Zone batters countering him with perfection. While he took a bit of time to get his line and length right, the North Zone batters capitalised on his medium pace bowling, scoring quick runs off his overs. 

After failing to bag crucial wickets at the top order, Mohammed Shami finally dismissed Sahil Lotra as his first victim of the game. He finished the first innings with abysmal bowling figures of one for 100 runs in 23 overs. His economy of 4.34 signifies how badly he failed to keep the opponent batters under the pump. 

The Duleep Trophy holds significant importance for Shami, who eyes a comeback into the Indian Test side by proving his mettle in the domestic season. 

Talking about the game, North Zone posted a challenging total of 405 runs in their first innings. In response, East Zone had a shaky start to their innings before valuable contributions from Utkarsh Singh and Riyan Parag helped them breach the 100-run mark. As of writing, East Zone were 138 for four, with Virat Singh and Kumar Kushagra batting on 31* and 12*, respectively.