Star Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami gave Siliguri Strikers a convincing victory over Rarh Tigers with a hat-trick in the Bengal T20 League.
The outstanding run coincides with the 35-year-old’s constant absence in India’s plans across all formats. After being passed up for India’s most recent missions despite a good home season, Shami’s performance has once again raised questions about his future abroad.
After dismissing Shahbaz Ahmed in the 16th over and then dismissing Rohit Kumar and Dipanjan Mukherjee off consecutive deliveries to complete an unforgettable hat-trick, the seasoned bowler delivered the game-winning blow in the Bengal T20 League match. Shami contributed significantly to Siliguri Strikers’ triumph, finishing with figures of 4/27 from his four overs.
Only a few weeks have passed since he was left out of India’s selection for the current Afghanistan series. The exclusion came after he was left out of India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series earlier in the year, despite playing well at home.
Ajit Agarkar On Shami’s Snub
“No (discussions on Shami’s Test return). As far as we have been told that at this point…his body is allowing him to (play), I know he has played a domestic season this year,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement.
“But from the information that I have got, is that at this point it’s T20 cricket that he’s sort of ready for. So there was no discussion regarding him,” Agarkar added.
The remarks provided insight into the selectors’ thoughts, indicating that worries about Shami’s workload and long-term fitness still had an impact on their choices. India’s management seems hesitant to reintegrate the fast bowler into the Test and ODI lineup, despite the fact that he has returned to competitive cricket and displayed glimmers of his former excellence.
Since March 2025, when he last played for India in the Champions Trophy final, Shami has vanished from the national team’s ODI and Test schedules. He had a successful domestic campaign, but it was insufficient to put him back in the running.
Throughout the season, the Bengal pacer took 47 wickets in 16 domestic games, including 20 in the Ranji Trophy, 16 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and 11 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Selectors have continued to look elsewhere, despite the fact that those performances bolstered the case for a nationwide recall.
Additionally, his IPL campaign did little to change people’s perceptions of his prospects. The Lucknow Super Giants had a poor season and finished at the bottom of the table, despite Shami taking 12 wickets during the season at an average of 38.25.
Shami’s situation is linked to ‘s continuous pace-bowling transformation. Selectors seem to be concentrating on developing a younger fast-bowling squad that can serve the team across forms for years to come, with an eye toward the 2027 ODI World Cup and upcoming cycles.
However, performances such as his hat-trick in the Bengal T20 League guarantee that the discussion about Shami will never end. The veteran continues to demonstrate that he still has the power to impact games and remind everyone why he is still among India’s best white-ball bowlers of the contemporary era, even though the selectors may be making plans for the future.