Shami not giving up hope of India recall despite not being selected for New Zealand tour
A day after India’s Test and ODI squads for the tour of New Zealand were announced, Bengal trained in preparation for its Ranji Trophy game against Services in Palam. Mohammed Shami was very much a part of the practice session, but when the game began the following morning, the veteran pacer was absent from the playing XI.
It could have been perceived to be a vexed reaction to his continued absence from India’s plans over the last 18 months and certainly prompted more theories surrounding Shami’s fitness, but the 36-year-old set the record straight on Tuesday.
“You could see the condition of the pitch, right? There was no point in playing on this wicket and bowling two to four overs. It was better that the youngsters got a run. The more they play, the more experience they will get. My motive is that when the team requires me, I will play. I don’t think there was really a need here. I can’t play as a batter,” he said.
Shami’s reference was to the spin-friendly surface on view. Just one wicket fell to a pacer in the entire game, coincidentally taken by his younger brother Mohammed Kaif.
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Shami’s last international outing was the Champions Trophy final in March 2025.
There were doubts heading into that event too about his durability, given he was coming back after an ankle surgery and a knee injury that had sidelined him after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but he did the job with nine scalps in five matches as India went undefeated to pocket the title.
Ever since, however, Shami hasn’t found a way back into the national scheme of things. That he played seven of Bengal’s nine games in the team’s march to the Ranji semifinal last season didn’t suffice. As he has continued to be overlooked by India’s selection panel, there have been murmurs that he is no longer able to bowl long spells of high intensity.
“How can anyone else from the outside decide whether I bowl long spells or not? That is dependent on the demands of the team,” Shami countered. “It is not like I will keep bowling over after over. This thing depends entirely on the game situation and pitch conditions. By the way, I bowled for one-and-a-half hours in training today. There was no issue.”
At his age, Shami’s chances of an India recall seem remote. However, he won’t give up. “The hope should always be there. In any profession, you should always have a goal. I don’t deny that goal.”
Perhaps, the recall of his old teammate Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is also 36, for the T20I series against New Zealand is a sliver of light. “The way Bhuvneshwar has performed, he should have been there in the team much earlier,” the fast bowler, a native of Amroha in Uttar Pradesh, stated.
Is the 2027 ODI World Cup in southern Africa, which will be held a year from now, still in his sight then? “I don’t think that far ahead. You never know what will happen in life. You don’t know who will score runs or take wickets. Just keep playing the matches. Just keep improving,” Shami elaborated. “I always say that my focus should be on my skill and my fitness. I don’t want to take any load by thinking far into the future. There is a lot of time.”
When the suggestion came that he may be past his peak, he was quick to retort. “I am still at my peak. There is no point beating around the bush.”
For now, Shami wants to keep playing for Bengal in domestic cricket. “I played matches last season as well. My motive is that I play as much as I can in the upcoming tournaments. Nobody knows when anybody would be needed. For me, it is good even for IPL preparation if I keep playing domestic cricket. As long as I play a lot of matches, my rhythm will be good. If I am with the team, the atmosphere will be good. These are the things that I try to do,” he explained.
At his vintage best, of course, Shami’s skillset – from the gallop to the crease to the bolt-upright seam position on release — was second to none. It has facilitated a formidable record in international cricket: 229 scalps in 64 Tests, complemented by another 206 wickets in 108 ODIs.
Will Shami add to that majestic tally? Only the current set of selectors will know for sure.
Published on Oct 20, 2026
