Mohammed Shami has slammed the notion that he’s not a T20 bowler. He said that no Indian bowler is ‘even close’ to his IPL record for the last five-six years, lamenting that he still isn’t considered for the format.
Shami last played T20Is against England in February last year, where Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t available and the series was seen as an opportunity to bring Shami back in form for the Champions Trophy later in the year. Since then, India have gone back to their premier options in Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. When Harshit Rana, the third choice, got injured ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, India called up Mohammed Siraj.
“I don’t think anyone needs to count the numbers,” Mohammed Shami told Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube. “I believe if you have the talent and the skill, why judge by the numbers? If you are performing for your team on any and every platform, then you are not inferior to anybody. About the IPL, you can pick up the records, agar koi Indian bowler mere aas paas bhi ho toh (if you can find any Indian bowler who’s even close to me), even then I am ‘not a T20 bowler’. It’s okay. In the last five-six years, I have 130 wickets. What more do you want?” he added.
Shami can’t be blamed for his confidence, especially after he took 16 wickets in seven matches in the latest Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, he ranks seventh in terms of wickets among Indian bowlers, and fourth among pacers in the IPL between 2020 and 2025, with his 73 in 56 matches behind Bumrah, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep, and Harshal Patel.
Asked if not investing in Public Relations (PR) was the reason behind Shami not being selected in T20Is, he replied with a ‘Maybe’.
“PR matters a lot,” he added. “Several companies do it. But you can’t change luck. I believe in luck. Maybe someone can stop me for some time, maybe it’ll be beneficial for me if I don’t get a few games. Maybe if I had played, my performances wouldn’t have gone well. So I try to see these things in a positive way, even when they seem negative,” he said.
Shami will lead Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)’s attack in IPL 2026.
