Shami last played a Test match in 2023.
The first Test between England and India is set to take place at Headingley, with India missing a few of their mainstays of the last few years. Among them is Mohammed Shami, who was integral to India’s success in the longest format for a long time.
As India have announced their playing XI for the first Test, Shami is absent from the team. The reason for his absence is that he was not picked in the squad for the England series. Several other fresh pacers, like Akash Deep and Harshit Rana, were preferred over Shami, primarily due to his poor fitness and off-rhythm bowling. Since returning from a major surgery, the speedster hasn’t been at his best and looked toothless most of the time.
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Shami has been mighty expensive on most occasions, given he has mostly played white-ball cricket. His wicket-taking expertise has no longer been the same, and he still looks unfit and lacks that extra zip in his bowling.
Shami’s exclusion from the England tour was on the cards, given his recent form and lack of sharpness and rhythm. During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, he was wayward. He conceded plenty in most games and was also dropped from the team at one stage.
That means his issues would have been exacerbated in the longest format, where he must bowl long spells while keeping the same rhythm. Given his fitness in IPL 2025, it would have been arduous for him to maintain the tempo and meet the demands of Test cricket.
Had India selected an off-colour and half-fit Shami, they could have been in massive trouble midway through a Test match. The chances of him crumbling were high. Hence, it was a wise call not to take the risk on such a long tour.
However, this is not the end of the road for Shami. He still has a lot to offer and can return to the setup once he gets fitter. The team understands his value. But their priority will be to have the best options, and Shami is not one of them.
India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
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