Mohammed Shami’s career has been marred by injuries every now and then because of which he wasn’t picked for the five-Test series against England due to fitness issues.
Reports say the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, spoke to Shami before picking the squad. Shami wasn’t sure about his fitness. Selectors are also looking at younger fast bowlers so Shami’s comeback depends on a few things.
Shami hasn’t played Test cricket since the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. He was out of cricket for months due to injury and returned to cricket last October. He played domestic red-ball matches but didn’t prove his fitness and was left out of the Australia tour.
According to The Telegraph, a BCCI official said the selection committee values Shami’s experience for the England series especially with Jasprit Bumrah playing only three Tests to manage his workload. But Shami’s lack of confidence in his fitness made the selectors hesitant and he was dropped.
He wasn’t dropped because of his performance. He can’t go to England only because of fitness issues, a BCCI source told The Telegraph.
The official added that Shami’s age is a factor and the preference is for a younger bowler who has seven or eight years left rather than someone turning 35 soon.”
Shami will play in the Duleep Trophy starting August 28. This will give selectors a chance to check his fitness and form before India’s home series against West Indies in October. East Zone will face North Zone in the quarter-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
“Shami will play the first game. He’s preparing at his academy in Amroha,” a source close to Shami said.
A BCCI insider said, “If Shami performs well against North Zone, selectors will take notice because of his quality. The question is if he’ll continue playing if East Zone advances. Can his body handle it given his knee and hamstring issues? In the Ranji Trophy he bowled short spells. So, can he play a multi-day game?’
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His return to domestic cricket in the Duleep Trophy starting August 28 could be his comeback to competitive cricket. Shami who has played 64 Tests, 108 ODIs and 25 T20Is hasn’t played for India since the Champions Trophy in March. Despite being one of the top wicket-takers, Shami gave away a lot of runs with an economy rate of 5.68. After the tournament Shami joined Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Sunrisers struggled and finished sixth in the group stage. Shami’s performance was also poor, taking six wickets in nine games with an economy of 11.23.
Before his return to the national team Shami was out for over a year due to an ankle injury. He recovered from ankle surgery in February 2024 but then got knee pain.
A good Duleep Trophy could be Shami’s ticket to the West Indies series.
