Mohammed Shami just won’t stop taking wickets, even if the Indian team doesn’t seem to be watching.
At 36, with the national team’s pace attack under constant fitness scrutiny, Shami has been grinding away in domestic cricket, delivering performance after performance while waiting for a recall. His journey back hasn’t been easy, an ankle injury following the 2023 ODI World Cup needed surgery and kept him out of action for a long stretch. He finally returned to international cricket in early 2025 and was instrumental in India’s Champions Trophy win. But almost as soon as he was back, Mohammed Shami was dropped again.
The selection committee’s biggest worry has been whether his body can handle the demands of Test cricket at this stage of his career. As a result, it’s now been more than three years since he last featured in a Test match for India.
Despite that, Mohammed Shami hasn’t slowed down. He keeps turning out for Bengal in every format, determined to force his way back into the national side. His most recent showing came in the Duleep Trophy, where he picked up seven wickets across three matches, helping East Zone lift the title.
Sourav Ganguly, CAB president and India great, says he’s genuinely pleased to see Mohammed Shami keep grinding it out domestically, though he was careful not to make any predictions about whether the pacer will feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup. He pointed out that the tournament is still a long way off, so it’s too early to say anything definite.
When asked whether the selectors were overlooking Mohammed Shami, Sourav Ganguly pushed back firmly. He argued that Shami has contributed enormously over the years and remains a genuine great of the game but this is simply part of what happens as players get older. Drawing from his own career, Ganguly recalled being dropped from ODI cricket for a year even after crossing 10,000 runs and how he eventually fought his way back. His point: this kind of setback happens to everyone, no matter how accomplished they are.
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