Mohammed Shami turned 36 last week and has been out of the radar of the national selectors for 18 months now. But the fast-bowler insisted that the hunger to turn up and take the field remains a strong one, following East Zone’s triumph over South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai.

On a placid Chepauk surface, Shami produced a disciplined performance, returning 2/42 from his 16 overs after East Zone plundered a mammoth 708 in the first innings to shut South Zone out on sheer weight of runs. The Bengal pacer turned in a fine display of reverse-swing bowling to trap Shaik Rasheed in front, before accounting for R Smaran to peg South Zone onto the backfoot.

“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,” Shami said following the final. “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 fulfill my responsibility toward the team.”

Shami has not played a Test since the WTC final against Australia in 2023, while his last international appearance in any format dates back to the Champions Trophy final in March 2025. But that hasn’t dampened his motivation to keep going.

"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."

The Duleep Trophy final marked Shami’s 100th first-class appearance, 64 of which have been Tests. Yet, the veteran pacer acknowledged that the process of continuing to learn aided him in adapting to the benign conditions in Chennai, after bowling in more favourable conditions in the quarterfinal and semifinal at the CoE Ground in Bengaluru.

“I’m always learning - that’s the right word,” Shami said. “I constantly strive to keep learning. In conditions like these, you can’t expect much conventional swing, and the bounce was quite low. In Bengaluru, conditions favored the bowlers far more, so coming here was a stark contrast. But that doesn't mean you stray from your basics.

“My approach was strictly about sticking to my line and length. I trust my line and length completely, and that's where I try to create wickets from. And honestly, if you can't exploit reverse swing in this kind of heat, what's the point?,” he added.

With experience, Shami has also donned the role of a mentor for the younger crop. But that also extended into a moment of guidance for Mohammed Siraj, with whom Shami had a mid-match conversation even as Siraj, who endured a tiresome toil in the final, was on the opposite team.

“Whenever I interact with guys I’ve played with or share a good bond with, I focus on their skill. In the first innings, Siraj wasn’t quite finding his natural rhythm compared to how he bowled later. I just reminded him that to get back on top, he needed to return to his core strengths. When your run-up and rhythm are in sync, your line and length fall into place automatically. That’s all we were talking about," Shami said.

Shami also expressed his satisfaction at East Zone ending a 14-year wait for a Duleep Trophy title in his 100th first-class game, while stating that the approach remained the same notwithstanding the momentous occasion on a personal front.

“As far as satisfaction goes, achieving this in my 100th match - and that too in a winning Duleep Trophy final - is special. East Zone has won this after a very long time. Every 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’s your first match or your 100th, it doesn’t matter - the effort and the approach remain exactly the same,” he declared.