He may be out of the Indian team, but Mohammed Shami continues to put up a show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The discarded India pacer, who picked 3/34 for Bengal against Puducherry, followed his red-hot show in Hyderabad with his second four-wicket haul, when he punctured Haryana’s innings with 4/34. With this, Shami’s tally in the last three matches has risen to 11, keeping in consideration his figures of 4/13 against Services.
Shami has been nothing but impressive, regularly getting into the wicket column in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and now SMOT.
The fact that he continues to be ignored by the BCCI’s selection panel has left Sourav Ganguly with a few questions. In a statement directed at the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, Ganguly questioned why Shami remains sidelined. Agarkar and Shami have been at loggerheads lately, with the India pacer accusing him of a lack of communication. Ganguly, in a direct addressal of the matter, hopes the conversations between the two have improved, but can’t wrap his head around Shami’s extended India exile.
“I’m sure the selectors are watching. I’m sure there is communication between Mohammed Shami and selectors; I don’t know. But if you ask me, in terms of fitness and skills, it’s the Mohammed Shami we know of. So I really don’t see any reason why can’t he keep playing Test matches and one-day and T20 cricket for India because the skill is enormous,” Ganguly, the former BCCI president, said during an event.
Shami’s India career has remained uncertain ever since he underwent ankle surgery following the 2023 World Cup. Despite recovering, one injury after the other pulled him down, and Shami struggled to break into the squad. He was in the pipeline for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia but couldn’t make it. Finally, Shami returned to India colours during the Champions Trophy, taking nine wickets from five matches. But seven months later, it remains his last outing for India.
Where Shami goes from this point onward remains to be seen. At 35, he may not have too many years ahead of him, but with Jasprit Bumrah being used sparingly and Mohammed Siraj needing support, Shami could be given a final push to ensure a smooth transition. Shami can still let it rip and make the ball talk, and while his return to Test cricket is easier said than done, given the duration of the format, it may not be a bad idea to slot him in India’s ODI scheme of things and grant some decent game time to begin with.