The star India National Cricket Team pacer Mohammed Shami had a conversation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) selection committee, which is led by Ajit Agarkar, before his England tour snub.
During the chat, Mohammed Shami “didn’t sound too confident” and was snubbed from the Test squad as the selectors didn’t feel he was at peak fitness to handle the workload.
Mohammed Shami’s performance in the Duleep Trophy to decide Test fate
Mohammed Shami will be playing the Duleep Trophy 2025 as he has been included in the East Zone squad, which will be led by Ishan Kishan.
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Duleep Trophy 2025 is set to start on August 28, and Mohammed Shami will be seen in action in the very first game as the East Zone will lock horns with the North Zone.
He last played a first-class game for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy in November 2024. That was his comeback game after recovering from a severe injury that kept him out of action for a very long time.
The upcoming Duleep Trophy fixture will only be his second first-class appearance since his comeback, and the performances will decide his Test fate.
Mohammed Shami will look to make an impact in the match against North Zone because it might be his last opportunity to impress the selectors if East Zone don’t progress further.
“In all probability, Shami will be playing the first game. He’s busy with his preparation too at his academy back home (in Amroha). He’s getting ready,” a source close to the pacer told The Telegraph.
Will his body permit, given his dodgy knee and hamstring? – BCCI Insider
A BCCI insider said that the selectors are keen to see if Mohammed Shami’s body is fit enough to take the workload of a multi-day game.
“If Shami comes up with an impact-making performance against North Zone, the selectors will certainly take notice because his quality cannot be ruled out,” a BCCI insider said, as quoted by The Telegraph.
“But what we need to see is whether he’ll play even if East Zone clear the quarter-final stage and continue to make progress. Will his body permit, given his dodgy knee and hamstring? In the Ranji game, he used to bowl three-four overs in a spell and go off the ground. So, whether his body can take the rigours of a multi-day game goes on and on to be a tricky question.”
Meanwhile, a board official said that the picture is unclear regarding Mohammed Shami’s desire to make a comeback in Test team and reaffirmed that he was not dropped from the Test squad based on his performances or form.
“Yes, how Shami fares in this Duleep Trophy will present a clearer picture of the prospects of his Test comeback. But one also needs to know if Shami himself is keen on making a comeback in the longest format,” a board official told The Telegraph.
“First of all, he wasn’t dropped because of form. Fitness issues are the only reason why he couldn’t travel to England. After missing the last tour of Australia, his presence was pretty much needed for the England series. The selectors had also spoken to him before finalising the squad, but he didn’t sound too confident. That much-needed assurance from him was missing.”
Mohammed Shami’s Asia Cup chances “remote”
India’s next big assignment is the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, and after that, the Men In Blue will lock horns with the West Indies in a home Test series.
Shami’s participation in both assignments is doubtful at the moment as his recent T20 performances in IPL 2025 were awful, and reportedly, BCCI is looking for a bowler who “still has seven-eight years of cricket left in him rather than an individual who’ll be turning 35 soon.”
Although Shami was quite impressive in the home series against England earlier in the year, his chances of featuring in the Asia Cup 2025 squad are “remote”, which means there is only a slight possibility that the premier pacer will feature in the Suryakumar Yadav-led team.
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