Veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami has broken his silence after missing out on the Men in Blue’s squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, which is set to begin on October 19. The 35-year-old last represented India in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final in March. Despite being India’s joint-highest wicket-taker in that tournament with nine scalps in five matches, he was not considered for any format in the current series.
Addressing his non-selection on his YouTube channel, Shami said, “People want to know my opinion on the non-selection for the Australia series. I will just say that getting selected is not in my hands; it is the job of the selection committee, coach and captain. If they feel I should be there, they will select me, or if they feel some more time is needed, it is in their hands. I am ready and practicing.”
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Comeback
He also assured fans about his fitness and readiness to make a comeback, adding, “My fitness is also good. I will try to do better because when you are away from the ground, you need to remain motivated. I played in the Duleep Trophy. I felt very comfortable, my rhythm was good, and I bowled around 35 overs. There are no issues with my fitness.”
Meanwhile, Shami has been selected in Bengal’s squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy campaign. He will lead the side’s pace attack alongside Akash Deep. This domestic tournament will be highly significant for Shami since impressing the selectors here is crucial for his chances of returning to the international circuit. Bengal’s first Ranji Trophy match is against Uttarakhand, starting from October 15.
Bengal’s full squad for the Ranji Trophy includes captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, vice-captain and wicketkeeper Abishek Porel, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Sumanta Gupta, Saurabh Kumar Singh, Vishal Bhati, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, wicketkeeper Shakir Habib Gandhi, Ishan Porel, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Rahul Prasad, Sumit Mohanta, and Vikash Singh.
It needsto be seen whether the veteran pacer will be given another chance by Shubman Gill led Indian team.