'Purely on wickets and performances Shami deserves to be there, but...': R Ashwin tries to decode why veteran pacer faced Test snub again

UPDATED: Nov 06, 2025 02:33 PM IST

'Purely on wickets and performances Shami deserves to be there, but...': R Ashwin tries to decode why veteran pacer faced Test snub again

India's R Ashwin (2R) congratulates Mohammed Shami (R) after he took the wicket of England's Keaton Jennings on the first day of the first Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England on August 1, 2018.

Story Highlights:

R Ashwin feels Mohammed Shami deserved a place in Test squad.

Shami has picked 15 wickets in ongoing Ranji Trophy season.

On November 5, India’s squad for the two-Test series against South Africa was announced. Once again, Mohammed Shami faced the snub despite proving his fitness and picking up wickets in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Following yet another snub, Shami’s former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin feels that either selectors expect more from the veteran pacer or they have moved on. The former off-spinner believes that on the basis of his recent performances in domestic cricket, Shami should have been part of the squad.

"Purely on wickets and performances Shami deserves to be there, but the selectors are clearly indicating that either they are expecting more from Shami, or they have moved on ahead from him. What kind of communication does a selector have with him? Look you are not fitting in the side, you should work a little more on this. That conversation can happen internally. People do not know what kind of selections they make or what kind of players they pick. Shami is not there and it definitely looks like they have moved on," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

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Shami has taken 15 wickets from three games at an average of 15.53, including a fifer. The 35-year-old pacer remained wicketless against Tripura.

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Only change in pace attack for South Africa series

The Bengal pacer was not picked for the unofficial Test series against South Africa A. Akash Deep who featured in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 returned to the squad. Deep replaced Prasidh Krishna in the squad.

Deep’s lack of wickets in recent games

Compared to Shami, Deep has not got wickets in clusters in recent Ranji outings. In the Irani Cup, he got three wickets. In two games in ongoing Ranji season, he managed to take four wickets. Also, he was picked in India A squad for the second unofficial Test against South Africa A.

Shami's record vs South Africa in home conditions

In 2019, Shami picked 13 wickets from three Tests at an average of 14.76, featuring one fifer. Javagal Srinath and Umesh Yadav are the only two Indian pacers with more wickets against South Africa at home.