Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 28 (ANI): Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami marked his return to competitive cricket on Thursday, turning out for East Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy. The 34-year-old finished Day 1 with figures of 1/55 in 17 overs against North Zone in Bengaluru.

Shami last featured in a competitive game on May 2, representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). That outing was a forgettable one for the pacer, as he went wicketless and conceded 48 runs in three overs against the Gujarat Titans.

The 2025 IPL season wasn't a remarkable one for Shami, as he managed six wickets in nine matches. He also missed India's high-profile Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test series in England earlier this year and has not been picked for the Asia Cup in September. He hasn't played for the national side since the ICC Champions Trophy in March.

In that Champions Trophy campaign, Shami was spearheading India's pace attack in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. He finished as India's joint-highest wicket-taker, claiming nine wickets in five matches, alongside mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who bagged as many in just three games. Shami's efforts helped India lift the title after defeating New Zealand in the final.

He last played Test cricket for India in 2023 against Australia in England.

Now it will be interesting to see if Shami gets called for the home series against West Indies and the white-ball series against Australia.

Meanwhile, North Zone finished the opening day in a comfortable position at 308/6, courtesy of contributions from across the batting order. Delhi's Ayush Badoni top-scored with a fluent 63 off 60 balls, smashing seven boundaries. While several others, including Ankit Kumar (30), Yash Dhull (39) and Nishant Sindhu (47), got good starts, they failed to convert them into big scores.

At stumps, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (42*) and Mayank Dagar (28*) remained unbeaten, looking to add crucial runs and put East Zone under further pressure on Day 2.

For East Zone, the bowling unit struggled. The Bengal trio of Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal had a mixed outing, with Shami and Jaiswal picking up one wicket each, while Mukesh went wicketless. The standout performer with the ball was Manishi, who returned figures of 3/90 and kept his side in the contest. (ANI)