It has been the biggest surprise of the recent times in the Indian cricket that Mohammed Shami, despite being fit for the three weeks of Champions Trophy and later in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), didn’t feature in any of the Test matches for the national side during their trips to Australia and England in seven months.

The Blue Brigade struggled with their pace bowling attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, who couldn’t play more than three games of the series. That was where, even after Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj did well with the ball, the national side under a young captain, Shubman Gill, struggled for experience in the eleven.

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Recently, the Sunrisers have posted a video of the Bengal pacer practicing in the nets with the ball. He was seen to do some stretching and running, besides bowling to a batter in the nets. The veteran looked fluent with the ball as he ran hard to create difficulties for the batters.

Watch: Mohammed Shami starts preparation before Duleep Trophy 2025

It was a poor season with the ball for Shami in the IPL 2025, where he picked just six wickets in nine innings at an average of 56.16 and a strike rate of 30 with an economy rate of more than 11. In 122 Test innings, the right-arm pacer has picked up 229 wickets at an average of 27.71 and a strike rate of 50.2, with his last game coming during the WTC 2023 final against Australia at the Kennington Oval.

The hustle and grind continue behind the scenes 💪🏻

📸: @MdShami11

Mohammad Shami | #PlayWithFire pic.twitter.com/TasXolYE8l

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) August 2, 2025

After being neglected for the national commitment, Shami has been picked in the East Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy 2025-26. Along with him, Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran and Akash Deep were also part of the squad. Shami’s last first-class game was for the Bengal side during the Ranji Trophy in November last year.

Duleep Trophy will give him a great chance to get ready for the upcoming home Test season against the West Indies and South Africa, while the national side will also make a trip to Australia for a white-ball series. With the T20 World Cup awaiting, his role will be crucial, along with fitness.

The 34-year-old Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has returned to red-ball cricket as he has been selected for the East Zone for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025-26.

The completed schedule of the Duleep Trophy 2025-26 has recently been released, where the two-time champions East Zone will start their journey in the tournament from their quarter-final match against North Zone, while the tournament will start on August 28. 

Ishan Kishan will lead East Zone in the upcoming Duleep Trophy season. Meanwhile, the uncapped Indian top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran will play the vice-captain role of the team. 

[WATCH] Harry Brook smashes Siraj for Pant-Like six before rain stops play

Mohammed Shami returns to red-ball cricket

India's Bengal pacers Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, and Akash Deep are all in the East Zone squad for the forthcoming Duleep Trophy season. While Shami played his last Test during the 2023 ICC World Test Championship Final, his last red-ball cricket was last November. Last season, the right-arm fast bowler played only one Ranji Trophy match, as he was working to regain his fitness, which helped him return to white-ball cricket for India. He participated in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and finished as the joint second leading wicket-taker, while India won the title. 

Shami last played a professional match in the IPL 2025, where the right-arm fast bowler took six wickets in nine matches. Although Shami was picked for Shrachi Rath Tigers for the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025, he later pulled out his name from the tournament. 

Talking about the East Zone squad, Riyan Parag has also been selected, while the teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in the standbys. 

Duleep Trophy 2025-26: East Zone complete squad

Ishan Kishan (Captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami

Standbys: Mukhtar Hussain, Aasirwad Swain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Rahul Singh

Shreyas Iyer is set to make a long-awaited comeback to India’s T20I team as the 29-year-old batter has been added to the team for the Asia Cup 2025. Iyer was not appointed the captain of the West Zone team for the Duleep Trophy as he was likely to be selected for the Asia Cup starting on September 9 in the UAE.

Iyer last played a T20I for India in December 2023 against Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. If Iyer is selected, the Asia Cup will be his first T20I match in more than 20 months. Iyer has played 51 T20Is and has scored 1,104 runs. He is known for holding an innings together and responding well under pressure.

Iyer Eyes T20I Comeback as Selectors Prioritise Asia Cup Over Domestic Captaincy

In his absence, Shardul Thakur will act as captain of a strong West Zone team featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, and Tushar Deshpande. The selectors' decision to ignore Shreyas Iyer for a leadership role is likely a tactical move given Iyer's expected national team representation next month.

Iyer has been in good form for some time. He took Punjab Kings to the IPL 2025 final with a record of 604 runs in 17 matches. Earlier this year, he led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title (2024) and bolstered his case to return to India's white-ball setup.

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India will begin their Asia Cup against the UAE on September 10, then have a marquee clash against Pakistan on the 14th, and their final group-stage game will be against Oman on the 19th. If they navigate through to the Super Fours and the final, Iyer could be a pivotal middle-order player.

The 2025–26 Indian domestic season kicks off with the Duleep Trophy on August 28. Iyer is expected to be included in the squad, but his primary focus would have likely been on the Asia Cup and securing a permanent spot in India's T20I lineup.

West Zone's squad for Duleep Trophy 2025: Shardul Thakur (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.

Senior Indian players Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have not been included in the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. The team will be led by all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

Pujara and Rahane, who were key members of India’s Test team in the 2010s, have not played international red-ball cricket for some time. This latest decision, announced on Friday, August 1, could be a big blow to their chances of returning to the Test side.

 At present, Pujara is busy doing commentary for the India vs England Test series, while Rahane is focusing on his YouTube channel. Both, however, played in the Ranji Trophy last season.

🚨 NO RAHANE & PUJARA IN DULEEP TROPHY 🚨

- Ajinkya Rahane & Cheteshwar Pujara have been ignored from the West Zone Dileep Trophy Squad. (Gaurav Gupta/TOI). pic.twitter.com/iHzlZPI4Z8

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) August 1, 2025

This year, the Duleep Trophy is back to its old zonal format after one season with a four-team structure. Last year’s format had India A, B, C and D competing, with India A winning the title. The BCCI decided to return to the zonal system to give more players from each region a chance to play.

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West Zone Squad for Duleep Trophy 2025

Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswalla.