Indian veteran pacer Mohammed Shami expresses his dream of winning the ODI World Cup for India and also shares insights from the tragic ICC World Cup 2023 loss despite having put in an extraordinary effort in the tournament.
India is currently focused on its Asia Cup campaign; however, many veterans who are no longer part of the T20I setup and do not cite a comeback as their goal have set their hopes on a return for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. India narrowly missed the title under Rohit Sharma in 2023.
Though the buzz has been surrounding the participation of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the upcoming World Cup, the 2023 World Cup hero, Mohammed Shami, has expressed his desire to feature for India in the upcoming WC.
Mohammed Shami opens up on 2027 World Cup plans
Indian management has kept its focus on the T20 format, as after the conclusion of the Asia Cup, the Men in Blue would start the preparation for retaining their title as the defending champions in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Though a bowler of Mohammed Shami’s calibre deserves a place in the T20 setup as well, he has not often been considered for the shortest format due to his frequent injuries. Shami last played for India in the ICC Champions Trophy of 2025, where he was the lead pacer in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
Now, the veteran expresses his desire to feature for India in the 2027 Cricket World Cup as he reveals he just has that one dream left: to win the World Cup for India, which they missed by inches in the 2023 edition.
“I only have one dream left, that is to win the ODI World Cup. We were very close in 2023. We had a gut feeling, but there was also fear in the Knockout stage. The enthusiasm and belief of the fans motivated us. Maybe it was not in my luck then, but I want to be there in the 2027 World Cup,” Shami said to News24.
Shami’s medal tally looks unfortunate, with a pile of consolation prizes
Mohammed Shami is one of India’s leading wicket-takers in the ICC tournaments, having played all three formats of the game. However, Shami has played just one Champions Trophy edition, 3 World Cups in 2015, 2019, and 2023 in his career, and two T20 World Cups.
Despite not featuring in every ICC event throughout his career, often ruled out due to injuries, Shami has 78 wickets in ICC white-ball events and is the highest wicket-taker for India. He also has 55 wickets alone in the 50-over World Cup.
Shami won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, but ended up as runner-up on many occasions, including the two WTC Finals, the T20 World Cup in 2014, and the 2023 ODI World Cup as well. Moreover, he was part of India’s squads that reached the semi-finals of the 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cups.
Shami to return to Domestic Cricket with the Duleep Trophy
Mohammed Shami is once again setting foot in Indian domestic cricket with the Duleep Trophy. The Duleep Trophy will mark the beginning of this year’s domestic season in India, and Shami has been picked in the East Zone squad, which will be led by Ishan Kishan.
Mohammed Shami, who is one of the most experienced red-ball bowlers from India, was not considered for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, while Gambhir relied on younger players like Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep. He was also not a part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year.
With his Duleep Trophy, he would look to change the perception of his abilities with both the red ball as well as the white ball since he was not considered for the Asia Cup either, after having a disappointing season in the IPL.