Mohammed Shami hasn't played for India since the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand last year. As per reports, the Bengal seamer's international career is all but over.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee had concerns regarding Shami's fitness after the Champions Trophy, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India. The right-arm seamer returned to domestic cricket and bowled brilliantly for Bengal. He picked up 37 wickets in the Ranji Trophy last year and also performed
well in the white-ball formats.
However, he has time and again been ignored when India's squads have been named, be it for white-ball cricket or the longest format. After he was snubbed for the Test tour of Sri Lanka next month, a report from Sportstar claimed that the Indian selectors have already identified a pool of 15 young fast bowlers across formats who will form the core of India’s pace attack over the next few years. Shami is reportedly not part of those long-term plans.
The report also mentioned that the selectors have started planning for the 2027 ODI World Cup and the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The transition within the Indian team is already underway and the selectors are looking to back youngsters instead of relying on experienced campaigners.
In recent series, the likes of Ashok Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Mayank Yadav, and Prince Yadav have put in impressive performances. The likes of Rasikh Salam Dar and Kartik Tyagi are two young pacers who have done well in the Indian Premier League this year and are waiting for their opportunities to excel in international cricket.
Among the experienced pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are certainties. Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana have also been playing for quite some time. Apart from Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been pushing his case for a comeback, especially after his exemplary outing in IPL 2026 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, the current selection committee might not want to bring him back and continue investing in youth.
