Mohammed Shami appears to have reconciled with the possibility that his tenure in the Indian national colors has reached its conclusion. A cornerstone of the Indian bowling attack for over a decade, Shami flourished as a premier strike option during the Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri leadership era. His legacy includes participating in three ODI World Cups and finishing as the top wicket taker during the 2023 tournament held in India. His final appearance for the national side occurred during the 2025 Champions Trophy final, where India secured victory against New Zealand. Despite maintaining peak fitness since that triumph, the veteran pacer has found the doors to the national squad firmly closed.
Struggle for Recall and Domestic Dominance
The fast bowler remains perplexed by his continued exclusion across all formats. Shami was phased out of the T20I roster first, followed by the ODI and Test squads. This omission persists despite an extraordinary 2025-26 domestic season in which he claimed 67 wickets. Nevertheless, Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI chairman of selectors, continues to deem him ineligible for selection. A similar pattern emerged after the 2022 T20 World Cup; despite winning the Purple Cap in the subsequent IPL season, Shami was never reintegrated into the T20I setup.
Regarding his T20 credentials and IPL performance, Shami stated on the Shubhankar Mishra podcast:
“As far as the IPL is concerned, look at my record. No other Indian bowler comes close to me. I am still not a T20 bowler. Look at the last 5-6 years. I have picked close to 130 wickets. What more do you want?”
Reflections on a Decorated Career
At 35 years old, Shami acknowledges that his international journey, which began in 2013 against Pakistan, may be over. However, he reflects on his achievements with a sense of fulfillment. His career highlights include a record breaking 24 wicket haul in the 2023 World Cup, an ODI hat trick, a career best 7/57 against the Black Caps, and contributing to two historic Test series wins in Australia.
Addressing his current status and the prospect of retirement from international cricket, Shami remarked:
“Honestly, it doesn’t make a difference to me. Look at my domestic record. If you give me the ball, only then will I be able to do something. Otherwise, I can only serve as a water boy. I can take wickets only when I have the ball in hand. But if not, my hands are tied. But it’s not like I am very disturbed or something. I am satisfied. Whatever cricket I have played for India, I have received a lot of name, fame and money. I have given so many years to the country and played so many World Cups.”
LSG 2026 SQUAD
Rishabh Pant(C), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan
