&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India pacer Shami, 36, reveals what keeps him motivated to continue to play")
India pacer Mohammed Shami may be past 36, but the bowler—who last played for India in the Champions Trophy 2025 final and last played red-ball cricket in the WTC 2023 finalisn't letting go of his motivation. In his 100th first-class game, he helped East Zone win the Duleep Trophy after 13 years, taking 2/42 in the only innings East Zone bowled, dismissing Shaik Rasheed and R Smaran. It is not completely unlikely that Shami will feature for India again, but the road ahead seems difficult, and the bowler isn't shy of the challenge.
Shami reveals what keeps him motivated
After the final day of the Duleep Trophy final (Sep 10), held at Chepauk in Chennai, Shami revealed what keeps him motivated, saying: "There 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're playing at, your eyes must always be set on the next level.
"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.
Shami's career in numbers
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Shami has played 64 Tests for India after making his debut in 2013 and has taken 229 wickets - the sixth-most for an Indian pacer behind Kapil Dev (434), Ishant Sharma (311), Zaheer Khan (311), Javagal Srinath (236), and Jasprit Bumrah (234). In ODIs, he made his debut in 2013 against Pakistan in New Delhi and has played 108 matches for 206 wickets - the fifth-most for an Indian pacer behind Srinath (315), Ajit Agarkar (288), Zaheer (269), and Kapil (253). In T20Is, Shami has donned the Indian jersey 25 times and has taken 27 wickets.
