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Mohammed Shami has been one of the finest cricketers that India have ever produced. The Bengal pacer is currently featuring in the Duleep Trophy 2026 season for the East Zone and has been performing well. Amidst this, former India National Cricket Team bowling coach Bharat Arun has shared his insights on Shami being overlooked by the national team and also revealed some secrets.
The veteran pacer will feature in his 100th first-class match as he steps onto the field on Sunday for the Duleep Trophy final against the South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. He was felicitated on Saturday by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), skipper Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on Saturday ahead of the final.
He loves bowling: Bharat Arun on Mohammed Shami
While speaking exclusively with The Indian Express, Bharat Arun shared some secrets of Mohammed Shami from when the former India bowling coach was associated with the team, and the two have also been part of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise in the 2026 IPL season. Arun reveals that the 36-year-old pacer loves bowling whether with red-ball or white ball.
“He loves bowling,” Arun tells The Indian Express. “It doesn’t matter whether it is in the nets or in the middle of a game. You give him the red ball, or any ball for that matter, he would mark his run-up and start bowling.”
“Some days he would turn up at the nets and say ‘I don’t want to bowl’. But in a matter of a few minutes, he would grab the ball and start bowling. And then you can’t stop him unless he bowls for 45 minutes to one hour. So that’s what makes Shami. He loves bowling irrespective of where he is.”
Bharat Arun reveals secret to stop Mohammed Shami
Bharat Arun also makes a shocking revelation that to stop Mohammed Shami from bowling in the nets is to hide the pacer’s bowling spikes before he leaves the hotel to go to the ground. He states that if Shami wears his spikes, he will definitely come and bowl, as he takes pride in being a fast bowler with the best seam in the world.
Arun found only one method that worked to stop the pacer: “So the best way to stop Shami from bowling is, before he leaves the hotel, I will ensure he doesn’t wear his spikes to the ground.”
“If he wears the spikes, then you know he is in the mood to bowl,” Arun says. “He doesn’t talk much or share his emotional side, but he is someone who takes immense pride in being the fast bowler with the best seam position in the world.”
There is still plenty of cricket left: Bharat Arun believes Mohammed Shami has plenty of cricket left
Bharat Arun also feels bad that India have closed doors for Mohammed Shami despite his recent performances in domestic cricket. Ajit Agarkar has maintained that Shami does not fit for red-ball cricket, as the Men in Blue continue with Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Gurnoor Brar who are fighting to become like-for-like replacements for Shami.
“At the start, he used to try a lot. But he kept learning. And once he realised the seam position is his strength, he just worked around it. He started relishing making batsmen uncomfortable with his movements,” Arun says.
“They shouldn’t have closed the door on Shami,” he says. “There is still plenty of cricket left in him. When someone is performing, age shouldn’t be a factor. You see his durability. It is an outstanding number for the kind of talent he possesses. It is actually befitting for Shami. 100 first-class matches with what he loves most, the red ball.”
