With Jasprit Bumrah confirmed to play three out of five Tests in Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, the fast-bowling attack was inexperienced despite Mohammed Siraj’s presence. India’s fast-bowling stocks were depleted on the England tour and, at times, Mohammed Shami’s absence was felt on wickets where there was assistance for seamers in patches. A week after India’s win at The Oval, it has been revealed that the selectors talked to Shami who did not sound confident about maintaining his fitness throughout the tour.
“First of all, he wasn’t dropped because of form. Fitness issues are the only reason why he couldn’t travel to England,” a BCCI official told Telegraph India.
“After missing the last tour of Australia, his presence was pretty much needed for the England series. The selectors had also spoken to him before finalising the squad, but he didn’t sound too confident. That much-needed assurance from him was missing.
“Besides, age is not on Shami’s side. The preference, thus, will be someone who still has seven-eight years of cricket left in him rather than an individual who’ll be turning 35 soon.”
Is Shami eyeing Test comeback?
Shami has has not played Test cricket since the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia at The Oval. Ahead of the two-Test series at home against West Indies, Shami will have to prove his mettle in the Duleep Trophy 2025.
“Yes, how Shami fares in this Duleep Trophy will present a clearer picture of the prospects of his Test comeback. But one also needs to know if Shami himself is keen on making a comeback in the longest format,” the BCCI insider told the aforementioned source.
Shami vs Gill in Duleep Trophy, focus on long spells
Shami will be leading the East Zone pace attack featuring Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar. He will be seen in action against North Zone led by India's Test captain Shubman Gill, starting August 28. There is concern over whether Shami can still bowl long spells which can prove to be a deciding factor whether he gets the nod from selectors.
“If Shami comes up with an impact-making performance against North Zone, the selectors will certainly take notice because his quality cannot be ruled out.
“But what we need to see is whether he’ll play even if East Zone clear the quarter-final stage and continue to make progress. Will his body permit, given his dodgy knee and hamstring?
“In the Ranji game, he used to bowl three-four overs in a spell and go off the ground. So, whether his body can take the rigours of a multi-day game goes on and on to be a tricky question.”
Shamis’ previous red-ball appearance
The last time Shami played a red-ball match was for Bengal in Ranji Trophy 2024-25. He bowled 43.2 overs and claimed seven wickets in Bengal's 11-run win against Madhya Pradesh.