Even though Mohammed Shami has already bowled 93 overs in the current Ranji Trophy, it is unlikely that one of India’s best pacers will be wearing the whites once more, and it appears unlikely that he will experience the ODI blues.
The 35-year-old hasn’t been selected in any format since his last appearance for India in the Champions Trophy in March. After suffering a heel injury in 2023 that necessitated surgery following the World Cup, he had to miss a significant amount of time from the game.
Given the current trajectory of Indian cricket, it seems improbable that Shami will add any more matches to his 197 international appearances in three different formats.
In both Test and Twenty20 International cricket, where Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep have quickly ascended in the ranks, he has fallen off the radar.
ODI appears to be Shami’s only remaining format. However, it wouldn’t be especially wise to travel with a 37-year-old who has a history of career-threatening problems, including a knee issue, given that the next ODI World Cup is in 2027.
Shami has publicly stated that he is not entirely satisfied with the national selectors and that they have not gotten in touch with him. It might not be the correct picture, according to BCCI sources.
“There have been multiple times that national selectors and support staff from the BCCI Centre of Excellence have called to check on Shami. The selection committee was desperate to get his services in England as Jasprit Bumrah could not have played more than three Tests,” a PTI report quoted a senior board official as saying.
“Who wouldn’t want a bowler of his calibre in English conditions?” he added, referring to the series that India ultimately drew 2-2 earlier this year.
It is learnt that Shami was sent several texts by a senior member of the selection panel asking about his level of fitness and asking him to play at least one India A match against the England Lions in either Northampton or Canterbury. The purpose of this was to assess his level of Test-match fitness for the five-match England series.
It is understood that the pacer’s response was that he shouldn’t be considered for the assignment because he still needs to build his workload.
“So the narrative that there was no communication with Shami isn’t an absolute truth. The sports science team also has his medical reports and whether his body will be able to take the rigours of international cricket,” the senior official further added.
Shami may believe he is prepared for 50-over cricket at this point, but only the national selectors can determine if he fits the role. Shami’s suitability for elite cricket is a subject of much debate.
How many overs, for example, can he bowl in a single spell in a day? After every spell, is he able to play without a break? Given that at his best, he could bowl at a pace of more than 135 and occasionally even 140 clicks, how fast is he bowling?
Even for Bengal, Shami hasn’t been bowling for extended periods of time, which he might need to do for India under difficult circumstances. In a day’s play, he has primarily been bowling four-over spells and taking several breaks. Additionally, he doesn’t go faster than 130 kmph on average.
There are concerns that he might collapse during a Test match given his age and history of a knee problem that necessitated surgery ten years ago.
After participating in the first three games, Shami did not play in Bengal’s current Ranji Trophy encounter against Railways in Surat.
He is anticipated to be available for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he will try to impress potential buyers for another lucrative agreement in the IPL auctions in December, as well as the home match against Assam at Kalyani beginning on November 16.
