“There is no update on Mohammed Shami,” said Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the national selection committee, while announcing India’s Test squad for the home series against the West Indies on September 25. The 35-year-old fast bowler was snubbed for the two-Test series, with Agarkar suggesting that Shami just had not played enough domestic cricket to come back.
Once seen as inseparable from Jasprit Bumrah in India pace attack, Shami has fallen off all formats. The hero of the 2023 ODI World Cup, he last played Test in the 2023 World Test Championship final, and last white-ball game in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Ever since Shami fell off the radar, there have been five Tests against England, the strong campaign of India in Asia Cup 2025, and the naming of the squad for the first home Test series of the season. The selectors, for the West Indies series, opted for the trio from the England Tests: Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
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It has become evident through this omission that people close to Shami are frustrated, they still think he has a lot more to give in all formats.
Once almost a permanent fixture in the playing eleven, the fortunes of Shami changed when he was declared out of the series due to ankle and knee injuries suffered in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The man who needed surgery for his ankle injury spent nearly six months in rehab, after which he was finally ready to take the field again. However, despite him declaring himself fit on numerous occasions during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, at a time when India’s bowling stocks were getting stretched, Shami was still overlooked.
He made his timely return for the Champions Trophy and guided India to the title at Dubai, finishing with the most wickets among the Indian pacers-nine in five games. However, the curve seems to be falling, and despite that form, he’s going to sit again.
The snub, especially in the red-ball format, did not sit well. A source close to Shami told that “the mood in his camp is gloomy and there is frustration because they feel there are double standards being applied in selection.”
“Why is it that only Shami has to prove that he is match-fit by going through the domestic circuit? Can’t the same yardstick be applied to Jasprit Bumrah?”
“Shami has played so much cricket for India. I mean, for a player of his experience to start from zero again, that’s just a little sad. Was Bumrah fully fit when he went to England? If not, then why can’t Shami at least get a Test match against the West Indies?” said a source close to the pacer.
“He is absolutely fit right now and all we want is for him to be announced as part of the ODI tour of Australia,” said the source.
All the while, behind the scenes, Shami has been working relentlessly to keep his India dreams alive.
The second-best pacer for India in the last decade, Shami counts 323 wickets in 134 matches across formats, second only to Bumrah who has 462 wickets in 211 matches. Those who know him say he knows how to fight his way back through hardships.
Currently, he trains five-six hours a day and bowls 12 overs per session. He is back to disciplined training. He has given up a lot of his favourite foods, including biryani.
Those close to him maintain that houses-previously ones that would swell and give pain under heavy bowling workloads-were all pain-free.
“He has given up a lot of his vices. Sacrifices have been made in terms of eating habits, including his favourite biryani. He is giving everything to make his return to the team,” the source said.
“There is still cricket left in him. He will make a comeback and be the best version of himself in the near future,” they said.
At 35, Shami watches the clock against him while so many claim his hunger remains undiminished. The years and injuries have left their marks, but they have never worn him down. Every over extra in the nets and every meal that gets sacrificed are a statement of intent: he is not done yet.
For now, the wait for a recall continues, but Shami thinks he has enough left in the mind and body and much more in the heart to fight his way back onto the Indian side.
