‘Zid’ and ‘junoon’ of Mohammed Shami: The man who refuses to give up, no matter what life throws at him

Apart from moving the ball both ways, Mohammed Shami also has two ingrained ingredients in him -- "zid" to prove everyone wrong and "junoon" to prove himself again, and again. These have kept Shami going despite facing rejection from his home state Uttar Pradesh in his teens, a knee surgery that almost ended his career, a near-death experience in a road accident, suicidal thoughts during personal crisis, vitriolic trolling after losing to Pakistan, and several other roadblocks.

Mohammed Shami (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

NEW DELHI: Mohammed Shami carries the air of a man who has endured one too many swings of misfortune in his life. At 35, he is certainly not getting younger. Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, has in many words made it clear that they are looking beyond Shami. But the Bengal pacer is not done. There has been a war of words between Shami and Agarkar in the recent past. Now, Shami’s bowling is doing the talking. In two Ranji Trophy matches of the 2025-26 season, he has already taken 15 wickets and announced himself to be “fit” and “ready” for an India comeback.

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“He is taking wickets with the new ball, he is taking wickets with the old ball. He is bowling long spells. He has picked up 15 wickets in two matches. He has played all the domestic tournaments. What else do Ajit Agarkar and his team need to believe that he is 100 per cent fit?” Shami’s childhood coach Mohammed Badruddin tells TimesofIndia.com. “To question his fitness is just a sheer stupid reason. Agar aapko khilana hi nahi hai toh seedha mana kar do (If you don’t want him to play, just say no). It is disrespectful to a bowler of Shami’s calibre and what he has done for his country,” said Badruddin. This is not the first time Shami has battled all odds. In his teens, he was rejected by his home state Uttar Pradesh during a U-19 trial. While playing for India, he came back from the brink of retirement following his knee surgery. He survived a near-death road accident and later his personal life went for a toss. During an Instagram Live chat with Rohit Sharma during the lockdown, Shami admitted that he had contemplated suicide on three occasions while battling “severe stress and personal issues.” The pacer also faced brutal online trolling following India’s defeat to Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.

Kolkata: Bengal's Mohammed Shami and Shahbaz Ahmed (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

But he always bounces back. Apart from moving the ball both ways, Shami also has two ingrained ingredients in him — “zid” to prove everyone wrong and “junoon” to prove himself again and again. These have helped Shami rise above pain and rejection. Shreevats Goswami, Shami’s former Bengal teammate who was doing commentary during the Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat at the iconic Eden Gardens, calls him the “Rolls-Royce” of fast bowling. “Everything about Shami’s bowling -- right from the run-up, the wrist position, the seam presentation, the ability to hit the hard length, is sheer poetry. When his ball hits the wicketkeeper’s gloves, you can hear that thud sound,” says Goswami. Goswami, who has seen Shami’s rise from close quarters and has been his confidant for years, revealed what keeps the pacer going. “If there’s one thing he likes the most apart from his favourite biryani, it’s the sound of rattling stumps. He’s very passionate about his bowling,” Goswami says with a laugh. After a brief pause, Goswami also spoke about Shami’s “stubbornness.” “I think it’s just the will, man. He enjoys taking wickets. And then there’s his stubbornness -- that ‘I can do it.’ He has a very strong belief system,” says the former cricketer. “You’ll never see bowlers on billboards. Bowlers always go under the radar. Shami is the Virat Kohli of Indian bowling,” he adds.

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Shami, who last represented India in the Champions Trophy triumph and finished as the country’s top wicket-taker alongside Varun Chakravarthy, has battled recurring ankle and knee injuries that required surgery after the 2023 World Cup. The 35-year-old has not been part of the Indian Test side for a while, having last played in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023. “I had a lengthy chat with him. He says he is ready, and it is up to the selectors. “He’s ready to play all three formats. He told me, ‘I played all the games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. I played all the games of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. I played the Champions Trophy too. So now it’s up to the selectors. If they pick me, I’m ready to play. If not, I’ll keep playing here and keep performing.’”

Kolkata: Bengal's Mohammed Shami celebrates (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

Shami bowled 18 overs in the first innings and another 10 in the second, following up on nearly 40 overs in the opening game against Uttarakhand. If there were ever doubts about his fitness, those numbers alone crushed them. Shami’s engine is still running strong and the intensity is undiminished. “Gend abhi bhi uske haath se lehra rahi hai” (The ball is still leaving beautifully from his hands). “There are still three years of cricket left in him. For an ageing fast bowler, it’s not easy to find rhythm after a long injury layoff. But now he’s found it back,” says Badruddin. Badruddin feels that in the ODI series in Australia, where fast bowlers like Josh Hazlewood made life difficult for Indian batters, Shami could have been more than useful. But he believes India’s loss is Bengal’s blessing. “Bengal have two wins in two. If he plays the entire season, he might end up helping Bengal win the Ranji Trophy,” says a proud coach. After his heroics against Gujarat, the Bengal pacer emphasised that he is fully fit after recovering from ankle surgery and is available for all formats of the game. “A lot of hard work has gone in, and I believe luck too plays a part. Every person wants to play for the country. So I am ready for that (again),” Shami told reporters. Through every injury, setback, and storm, Shami has stood tall. The ball still moves like magic from his hand -- proof that class and courage never dwindle. And with his two friends, “zid” and “junoon,” by his side, there’s still plenty left in Shami’s tank -- and his story is far from over.

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