End of road for Mohammed Shami in Test cricket? 'No Longer the bowler he used to be,' says former selector
Mohammed Shami.
New Delhi: India named an 18-player squad for the upcoming England Test series, starting June 20. The selection included newcomers Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh, as well as the return of Shardul Thakur and Karun Nair. Notable omission from the squad is veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, a decision that may indicate future team strategies.
After a lengthy injury absence, Shami returned to competitive cricket in November and gradually increased his playing time. He participated in India's white-ball matches, culminating in their Champions Trophy victory in 2025. Despite this success, selectors remain unconvinced about his physical readiness for the demands of Test cricket, resulting in his exclusion from the current squad.
A former Indian selector suggests Mohammed Shami's Test career may be finished. His absence from the upcoming Australia and England tours, crucial for fast bowlers, makes his selection for later home Tests unlikely.
'If Mohammed Shami isn't available in Australia or England, why would the selectors pick him against West Indies and South Africa at home. They might as well use Akash Deep, Arshdeep, Harshit or Mukesh as Siraj or Bumrah's partner,' the ex-selector was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
'Shami's body is ageing, and one has to accept that he is no longer the bowler he used to be,' the selector added.
Shami, who debuted in Test cricket in 2013, has a career record of 229 wickets from 64 matches.
A BCCI medical assessment of Mohammed Shami in Lucknow found him physically unprepared for the demands of bowling extensive overs daily.
Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, reported that Mohammed Shami is undergoing fitness training for the upcoming England tour, but his current workload is insufficient.
'He has been trying to get fit for the series but he has had a little bit of a setback for the last week or so and he has got some MRIs done. I'd like to mention, I don't think he was going to be available for all five Tests. I don't think his workload is where it needs to be,' Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai on Saturday.
'It's what the medical guys told us that he's been ruled out of the series,' Agarkar explained that the senior pacer's unavailability was unfortunate, but the team had to proceed with its current fit players due to the player's ongoing injury and the scheduling constraints of the series. They had hoped for at least partial participation from the injured bowler, but his fitness prevented it.
'So it's unfortunate that a bowler like him will always want to try and pick by himself. At the moment, he's not fit,'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Suruchi aims for golden repeat in Munich
New Delhi: Not many professional shooters describe their process as succinctly as Suruchi Phogat. The latest 10m air pistol sensation to emerge from domestic ranges couldn't care less about techniques such as visualisation or meditation or even the flow state that shooters fret over. Neither does she bother about shooting against Olympic medallists or much-accomplished competitors. 'It's simple. I just pick up the gun and shoot. It's not a very complicated sport,' she said when asked to explain her process. One may be tempted to attribute her assessment to inexperience at the elite level, but the results belie any trace of fluke or complacency. Four medals from her first two senior World Cups in Buenos Aires and Lima this April, including three gold, underscore her growing prowess and the 19-year-old will be the one to watch out for when she takes aim at the Munich World Cup from June 8. 'Shooting always felt natural to me. Somehow, I have never had to try extra hard to nail good scores. I hit 580-585 in training which is usually enough to put me in the finals,' she said. 'In the finals though, I sometimes tend to shoot a little below par which is one area I am working on and would like to get better in this World Cup. The Indian shooting contingent had a two-week training camp at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi where the shooters honed their skills ahead of year's third senior rifle/pistol World Cup. The 23-member squad is headlined by Olympic medallists Swapnil Kusale and Manu Bhaker. Besides Bhaker, Suruchi will be accompanied by 19-year-old Asian Games gold medallist Palak Gulia in the 10m event. After the golden harvest in South America, Suruchi will be expected to give a good account of herself in Germany where the competition is going to be sterner with reigning Olympic champion, South Korea's Oh Yejin, in contention. 'The South American leg didn't offer a very tough test, but in Munich, almost all top shooters will participate. It will be an exciting challenge,' said Suruchi. 'And as far as expectations go, I feel 0.01% pressure on match days. My entire focus is on my shooting.' 'My biggest strength is that I don't think too much. Even on match days, my mornings are relaxed and easy. I just try to execute whatever I do in training. It doesn't matter who is shooting next to me. The target is same for everyone,' she added, emphasising that her mindset has barely changed since the time she swept the individual events (junior, youth, senior) at National Championships late last year and followed it up with success at this year's National Games. The twin success at World Cups has brought a lot of attention to Suruchi's unassuming family in Haryana's Sasroli village. Jhajjar district, known for producing quality wrestlers, has lapped up its latest shooting star and Suruchi is still a little wonderstruck with all the adulation. 'We are simple people who live in a humble house in the fields. When I returned from South America, there were a lot of high-profile people who turned up every day to meet me. I felt a little embarrassed because we don't have any luxuries to offer our guests. It's a very humbling experience,' she said.
The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
India yet to take a call on which three Tests Bumrah will play
The Indian team management is yet to decide which three Tests Jasprit Bumrah will feature in the upcoming five-match series in England, but head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly-appointed captain Shubman Gill made it clear that there's enough depth in its pace attack. 'We haven't taken that call, which three games is he going to play,' Gambhir said on Thursday. 'We are going to have a discussion with him and (it will) depend on the series as well. A lot will depend on the results of the series, where the series is heading. That is something which I am sure he is very well aware of as well and that is important.' Fitness worry While announcing the squad last month, the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, said that Bumrah had been advised by medical staff not to risk playing back-to-back Tests as part of his workload management in the wake of him breaking down during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January. But Gambhir believes that this will also be an opportunity for the rest of the pace attack, comprising Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur to stand up and deliver. 'I have said it before during the Champions Trophy (which Bumrah missed) as well, it will give someone the opportunity to put his hand up and we have got enough talent there. I know that he is quality but we have got enough quality apart from him as well in the squad.' WTC cycle Under the leadership of Gill, the five Tests against England will be India's first in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, and the young captain believes that there's enough firepower in the bowling department. 'We have picked enough bowlers and we have a good enough pace battery and a lot of fast bowlers are in a great space to be able to win us Test matches from any situation or any position,' Gill said.
The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
We have a perfect mix of experience and talent: Gill
As he gears up for his maiden Test series as the captain of the Indian team, Shubman Gill knows that he has big shoes to fill in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from the format recently. But the youngster is looking forward to the challenge. 'The pressure is there on every tour. These (Kohli and Rohit) were two big players who had won so many matches for India, so it is difficult to fill their shoes. But the pressure is no different, and we are all used to playing in pressure situations and are aware of how to win,' Gill said on Thursday. 'The batting and bowling combination in our team is very good. We have a perfect mix of experience and talent.' Having led the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League over the last couple of seasons, Gill understands that a clear communication with the players is the key to success. 'I wouldn't say that there is a particular style that I would like to follow, but the more you play, the more experience you get. I like communicating with the players, making them feel secure and providing them that comfort. Building a bond with the players is very important, and if you are the captain of a team, you have to do this,' Gill said, adding: 'If your players feel very secure, then only they can give you their 100 per cent.' Leading up to the series, he practised with Dukes ball on the sidelines of the IPL. However, he has yet to decide his batting position. 'We have a tour match in London, so we still have time to decide on the batting order,' he said. Coach Gautam Gambhir, however, admitted that the pressure always mounts up ahead of every series because the goal remains to win. The series will also see the return of Karun Nair, and Gambhir admitted that if one performs well in domestic cricket, the doors of the national team are never shut. Asked whether Shreyas Iyer could be called up, the coach said, 'Anyone can be called if they are in good form.'
