Mohammed Shamihasn’t been decent with the ball in recent times. His last appearance was in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, in which he struggled to be among the wickets. In nine games, he could pick
up only six wickets at an expensive economy of 11.23. Shami’s poor fitness has led to his debacle in recent times. After IPL 2025, eyes were set whether Shami will be picked up for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 or not. However, he didn’t get the spot in the 15-member side.
Recently, a report by The Telegraph claimed that a BCCIsource revealed to them that the veteran pacer wasn’t left out of the team because of form but fitness issues. “First of all, he wasn’t dropped because of form. Fitness issues are the only reason why he couldn’t travel to England. After missing the last tour of Australia, his presence was pretty much needed for the England series. The selectors had also spoken to him before finalising the squad, but he didn’t sound too confident. That much-needed assurance from him was missing," a BCCI official was quoted by The Telegraph.
According to the BCCI source, Shami can earn a place in India’s upcoming Test challenge against the West Indies. He remarked that the 34-year-old is willing to return to red-ball cricket. Shami is required to prove himself while serving the East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025. “One also needs to know if Shami himself is keen on making a comeback in the longest format. What we need to see is whether he’ll play even if East Zone clear the quarter-final stage and continue to make progress. Will his body permit it, given his dodgy knee and hamstring? In the Ranji game, he used to bowl three-four overs in a spell and go off the ground. So, whether his body can take the rigours of a multi-day game goes on and on to be a tricky question,” added the BCCI source as per The Telegraph.
Mohammed Shami’s last Test outing
Mohammed Shami’s previous Test outing came against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final at The Oval in June. India faced a 209-run defeat and Shami took four wickets (2/122 in the first and 2/39 in the second innings) on the losing occasion.
Following that game, he was rested during India’s tour of the West Indies for a couple of Tests. Later, he also picked up an injury which hampered his comeback in cricket’s longest format. However, Team India supporters will want him to be at his best in the Duleep Trophy and make a comeback in India whites against the Caribbean side in October 2025.
