The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for the upcoming Test and ODI matches against Afghanistan. After the announcement of the teams, selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar addressed the media.
One question before the announcement was whether the great Mohammed Shami Will eventually return to the Indian team. However, the Bengal fast bowler failed to make a place in any team.
Agarkar said that there was no discussion in the meeting among the selectors regarding calling Shami back to the national team. The former India fast bowler said that Shami is physically fit to bowl only in T20 cricket, but not in the longer formats.
“As far as we are told, at the moment his body is allowing him to play T20. I know he has played the domestic season this year. But the information I have got is that at the moment, it is T20 cricket that he is ready for. So, there was no discussion about him,” Agarkar said during the press-conference.
Shami has not played for India since the Champions Trophy in 2025. The right-arm fast bowler finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue along with Varun Chakravarthy. Since then, he has failed to make a comeback into the team in any of the three formats.
The 35-year-old played a key role in Bengal reaching the semi-finals of Ranji Trophy 2025-26. In seven matches he took 37 wickets at an average of 16.72. He also performed well in Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
During the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Shami has time and again shown that he is a lethal bowler whenever he finds his rhythm. In 12 matches he has taken 10 wickets for Lucknow Super Giants. He is also able to hide his slower balls better than before, which has helped him dismiss some of the top batsmen. However, it seems the selectors want a lot more from him before recalling him back into the team.
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