Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: Since his last international appearance in the Champions Trophy in February this year, Mohammed Shami has taken domestic cricket by storm.
Out of favour with the national team, apparently due to fitness issues, Shami has let the ball do all the talking, constantly sending reminders to the national selectors about his fitness and form by his consistent performances in both red-ball and white-ball competitions.
Most recently, he has taken the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) by storm with some sparkling performances. Consistently among the wickets in India's premier domestic T20 competition, Shami added four more to his tally on Monday against Haryana. He returned with superb figures of 4/30 but found no support from his teammates as Bengal conceded 191/9 in 20 overs.
He picked up the wickets of Yashvardhan Dalal, Sumit Kumar, Ashish Siwach and Arpit Rana. However, his stunning performance proved futile as Bengal fell 21 runs short of 192, after being bowled out for 167.
The 35-year-old pacer has been in red-hot form in SMAT. In the seven matches in the ongoing T20 tournament, Shami has taken 16 wickets. His recent form has been even more impressive, with 11 of the 16 wickets coming in the previous three games against Services, Puducherry and Haryana.
Before SMAT, Shami also produced solid performances in the Ranji Trophy.
The veteran pacer, who was India's leading wicket-taker at the 2023 ODI World Cup, has been sidelined since India's ICC Champions Trophy victory under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.
However, a poor outing in IPL 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) due to injuries and inconsistent form severely hurt Shami's international chances.
After the dismal IPL season, Shami underwent a slow, methodical rehab from his Achilles injury, gradually increasing workload to be finally match-fit for the domestic season. Post-rehab, he has played in the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy, and now features in the SMAT, having proved he is back to full fitness and form courtesy of his superb performances.
He has proved his fitness for potential selection in India, especially for Tests, though the BCCI has not considered him so far, which might be more due to his comments than his performances.
After not being picked for the season-opening two-Test series against West Indies, Shami slammed the selectors, who had questioned his fitness, and said the medical team at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru should provide updates on his fitness.
"About giving an update, it's not my responsibility to give an update or ask for an update. It's not my job to give updates on my fitness. My job is to attend the NCA (Centre of Excellence), prepare, and play matches. Woh unki baat hai unko kaun update deta hai, kisne nahin diya (That's their matter who gives them updates or not). It's not my responsibility," Shami told reporters.
Since the war of words with the selectors, Shami has let the ball do all the talking with consistent performances.
With India's bowling exposed in the Test and ODI series against South Africa, Shami, who has been match-fit for a while, could have been picked to add experience and venom to the bowling attack. At 35, Shami is not getting any younger, but if Rohit Sharma at 38 and Virat Kohli at 37 prove age is just a number, why can't Shami?
The big question is, if Shami continues his red-hot form, how long can the selectors afford to ignore him?
