The Indian squad for the ODI series against New Zealand is likely to be announced on Saturday or Sunday, and the one name that should be in the reckoning is that of Mohammed Shami. At a press conference in Dubai during the Asia Cup earlier this year, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said that Shami hadn’t played enough at the time to get himself back into the scheme of Team India things. He had added that there was never any doubt about the class of the fast bowler.
If we go by his words, Shami has now played the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He has not missed a match and bowled 145.2 overs in the Ranji Trophy, 34.2 overs in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) and 26.5 overs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) respectively. In the VHT, he has already taken eight wickets in four games.
Going by the numbers, Shami has clearly done enough bowling to demonstrate his fitness. And his pace hasn’t dropped either. He has troubled the batters and has been excellent for Bengal. Add to this the fact that India are all set to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the ODI series. So why not Shami? Will the selectors consider him and reward the hard work he has put in at domestic cricket? If he continues to be overlooked, what could be the reason?
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have both proved that age is just a number. While they are both batters, the truth is that Shami is fit enough to make an impact and has proved it time and again in domestic cricket. Like I have always maintained, sport should be about performance, and performance only, and going by that yardstick, Shami has made a very strong case for an India comeback.
Shami last played for India in the Champions Trophy. He had picked up nine wickets, including a five-for (5/53). While it was fair that he had be left out of the England tour as he was underdone, the truth also is that he is now ready and has played enough domestic cricket to prove his fitness to the selectors.
In the absence of Bumrah, India are likely go with Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna. While Prasidh does have the ability to take wickets, he also leaks runs and has by no means cemented his place in the team. Harshit has stepped up but he, too, hasn’t closed out the debate just yet. In such a scenario, Shami does deserve an opportunity. In fact, if the selectors rest both Bumrah and Arshdeep, keeping in mind the T20I series against the Kiwis and the forthcoming T20 World Cup, both Shami and Mohammed Siraj deserve to make a comeback to the team. Siraj, who was rested against the Proteas for workload management, has no red-ball cricket till August 2026 and could easily play the ODI series starting a week later.
The selection meeting, otherwise a vanilla one with 50-over cricket not really the flavour at the moment, will be interesting with the Shami issue looming in the background. If the selectors don’t pick him, questions will justly be asked. If they do, it will yet again prove that age isn’t an issue when it comes to playing for India.
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