Indian Cricket Captain Drops Bombshell on the Future of WC 2023 Star

Indian Cricket Team Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill dropped a massive statement about Mohammed Shami’s future with the national team. He admitted that the fast bowler brings in lot of quality with him, but they cannot ignore what young fast bowlers have done.

The curious case of Mohammed Shami just keeps getting worse as despite the performances, the fast bowler isn’t making the cut in the Indian Test and ODI team. After the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, where he was the leading wicket-taker despite the ankle injury, he has been struggling to make his comeback.

Ajit Agarkar on Mohammed Shami's Absence

After a long injury break, Mohammed Shami made his India comeback in the T20I series against England ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He played in the tournament as well and was the joint highest wicket-taker for India with Varun Chakravarthy.

That was his last appearance in Indian colours and since then he has been out and many have been wondering about his snub. Being one of the best Test bowlers in the world, he was expected to be part of the England Test series but the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar clarified that the pacer wasn’t fit.

Mohammed Shami was again absent from the Test series against the West Indies and when asked about his snub, Agarkar again mentioned fitness issues. However, Shami didn’t hold back as he replied, saying if he is not fit how is he playing Ranji Trophy 2025-26?

After that, Shami proved his fitness and played three rounds of the Ranji Trophy, where he was spot on. The pacer bowled over 90 overs and picked 15 wickets, proving his performance as well as fitness. However, despite that he still wasn’t named in the team for the South Africa Tests, which is underway.

Shubman Gill on Mohammed Shami's Snub

Ahead of the IND vs SA Test series, Shubman Gill was asked about Mohammed Shami’s snub. He said that they need to look at other bowlers as well who have been performing. While citing the example of Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna, he said that they cannot ignore what they have done.

“I think a bowler of Shami Bhai’s quality is not found easily, but you also have to take into consideration the bowlers that are playing,” Gill said when asked about Shami’s exclusion.

“They have done an excellent job so far. You can’t ignore the performances of someone like Akash Deep or Prasidh Krishna. We all know what Siraj and Bumrah have been doing in Tests. Sometimes, it’s very difficult for players like Shami Bhai when they have to miss.”

Mohammed Shami’s last appearance for India in Tests came during the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23. Despite being among the best bowlers in the world, there is no clarity if he will be back in the India setup or not. But with the way things are going on, Mohammed Shami retirement news might be coming soon.