Mohammad Shami Sends Stern Reminder To Gambhir, Agarkar With Scintillating Duleep Trophy Show | Watch

Mohammed Shami produced a stunning moment in East Zone’s Duleep Trophy 2026 semi-final against Central Zone when he pulled off a one-handed caught-and-bowled dismissal to remove Harsh Dubey.

The batter’s shot came straight back towards Shami, who reacted quickly to stretch out one hand and complete the catch, ending Dubey’s stay for 24 off 51 balls.

The dismissal was one of the highlights of a strong outing for Shami, who finished with five wickets across the two innings as East Zone defeated Central Zone by four wickets. The veteran pacer returned figures of 2/42 in the first innings before adding 3/56 in the second.

Shami picked up two wickets in Central Zone’s first innings as they were dismissed for 266. He added three more wickets in the second innings, with Central Zone bowled out for 158.

The pacer was effective again when Central Zone batted for a second time. Starting the day at 45/3, Central Zone struggled to build a substantial lead as East Zone’s bowlers continued to apply pressure.

Shami dismissed Yash Rathod lbw before returning later in the innings to remove Harsh Dubey for 24 off 51 balls. Dubey attempted to keep his shot soft, but the ball chipped back towards Shami, who stretched out one hand to complete an excellent caught-and-bowled dismissal.

Shami took three wickets in Central Zone’s second innings as they were bowled out for 158.

The semi-final also saw Shami reach 900 wickets in professional cricket across formats. He became the sixth Indian pacer to achieve the milestone, joining Kapil Dev, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Vinay Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat.

Shami’s Duleep Trophy outing comes after he claimed 37 wickets in seven Ranji Trophy matches and 15 wickets in seven Vijay Hazare Trophy games last season. He has not played for India since the 2025 Champions Trophy.

With the 2027 ODI World Cup scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, Shami’s recent domestic numbers add to the discussion around his place in India’s ODI plans. He was India’s leading wicket-taker at the 2023 ODI World Cup, taking 24 wickets in seven matches.

At 36, Shami’s fitness will remain an important factor, but his five-wicket performance in the Duleep Trophy semi-final gives the selectors another set of numbers to consider ahead of the next ODI World Cup cycle.