Veteran speedster Mohammed Shami will reportedly miss his spot in India's squad for the upcoming series against England. Team India is scheduled to play a five-Test match series in England which will start from June 20.
As per Indian Express, the senior selection committee is likely to leave out ace pacer Mohammed Shami from the upcoming England tour. The report further stated that BCCI’s medical team has informed the Indian board that the 34-year-old pacer won’t be able to bowl longer spells. Chances of him playing all five Test matches are less too, going ahead. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah also told the board that his body can’t take the toll of more than three Test matches.
“Shami is bowling four overs in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad but the board and selectors don’t know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can’t take chances,” a source in the board informed the Indian Express.
Shami's last Test outing came during the World Test Championship 2023 (WTC) final between India and Australia at the Oval. Shami had undergone an ankle surgery in 2024, which forced him out of the cricketing action for nearly a year, and he made his comeback earlier this year after featuring for Bengal. Later, Shami was a part of India's Champions Trophy 2025 winning squad.
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Shami had missed key events for India, including last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia and the West Indies, and also the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in recent months.
Left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh will most likely to feature in place of Shami. Arshdeep Singh could be a dark horse, especially given his county cricket experience last season, where he represented Kent.
Sports Tak earlier reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce the India squad for the upcoming assignment on May 24, and Shubman Gill will be Rohit Sharma's successor to lead the side.
This will be India's first Test assignment after a humiliating 3-1 defeat in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 that ruled them out from the WTC final.