Kolkata: Mohammed Shami is accustomed to making his point on the field. On Sunday, on Day 1 of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy game against Delhi in Kalyani, he did so again, claiming 4/30 in 17.3 overs, which included nine maidens.

Mohammed Shami bowls during the Duleep Trophy final for East Zone against South Zone in Chennai on September 8. (PTI)

Off the field too he had a few things to say. There was the usual question of his fitness, the subject of persistent speculation as he continues to fight to remain in contention for an India recall. Shami’s response was characteristically blunt.

“You can see my fitness. Write it. You are watching me,” he said with some frustration. “What will happen if I say it? I am at the ground. I am playing. I am playing wherever I can.”

Shami’s frustration extends beyond his fitness. He has continued to perform for Bengal, but a return to the national setup has remained elusive. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, also 36, has meanwhile earned another opportunity after a productive run in the IPL. The swing bowler has been picked for the T20I tour of New Zealand.

It was a selection Shami welcomed even as the contrast with his own predicament was evident.

“Bhuvi should have been picked a long time ago. He doesn’t talk to anyone. He is not like that. It doesn’t mean that you should stop a talent for a long time. It’s good for him. He has delivered back-to-back performances in the IPL, so he deserves it.”

When reminded that he too has been performing, Shami replied, sarcastically: “No, no, I’m not a good bowler.”

He was quick to return to the principle behind his argument. Bhuvneshwar had been away from the national reckoning for a considerable period. Sustained performances have earned him another chance. Shami believes the same logic should apply to anyone willing to put in the work.

“He has come back after a long time. If someone is doing hard work, if he has potential, why shouldn’t he do it?”

Shami last played for India in early 2025, and featured in the ICC Champions Trophy triumph in the UAE.

Pitch conditions provided to the bowlers at Kalyani was another source of irritation. Shami felt the Kalyani surface was slower than expected, despite Bengal’s hopes of a pitch that would assist their formidable pace attack. With Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Shami available, he argued, Bengal had the kind of fast bowling resources that should make opponents wary.

“The pitch was on the slower side. We didn’t expect it. There was a demand for a helpful wicket. Akash is playing, Mukesh is playing, I am playing. No team has this kind of pace bowling.” His frustration was unmistakable. “With this bowling, I don’t think we deserve this type of wicket.”

Still, Bengal dismissed Delhi for 240 at stumps on Day 1.

Shami acknowledged that teams routinely ask for conditions that suit their strengths, but seemed tired of repeating himself. He said he had made the point two or three times already and might not do so again.

For a bowler whose craft depends on movement, the conditions were challenging. Asked how he could make the ball move both ways with an apparently unchanged action, Shami said: “You can say it is an inbuilt skill.” Knowing when to bring the ball in and when to move it away, he explained, required intelligence as much as ability. “As far as I am concerned, I don’t think there is any change.”

The same pragmatism shaped his management of the humid conditions on Sunday. Long spells, he felt, were not necessarily the answer. “It was humid. But you have to be smart. There is no smartness in bowling long spells in such conditions. I had told myself I would bowl three-over spells, four if I was bowling well.”

The figures suggest the plan worked. Four wickets, 30 runs and nine maidens in 17.3 overs amounted to a substantial day’s work, regardless of the questions surrounding his international future.

Shami was not interested in turning his performance into a campaign speech. Asked about his bowling, he returned to the simplicity of the task in front of him. “My job is to just keep bowling,” he said.