NEW DELHI: The future of veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami in Test cricket looks uncertain if one goes by chief selector Ajit Agarkar's remarks while announcing the 15-man squad for the two-Test series against the West Indies starting October 2.
2023 ODI World Cup's highest wicket-taker, Mohammed Shami, has featured in seven ODIs and two T20Is since making his return to the national side earlier this year. He was also part of India's victorious Champions Trophy campaign, where he bagged a five-wicket haul.
The 35-year-old pacer was also not included for the Test tours of Australia (2024-25) and England earlier this year.
When asked about Shami's status, Agarkar admitted he was unsure of the pacer's fitness and hinted that Shami may not be in the current scheme of things, raising questions over his Test future.
"I don't have an update," was his quick retort when asked about Shami.
"He's played a couple of matches. But he's not had a lot of cricket. In the last two-three years, I think he's played one match for Bengal and one match in the Duleep Trophy. As a performer we know what he can do but he will need to play some cricket," the chairman said.
Shami's latest Test appearance for India came in the final of the ICC World Test Championship against Australia at The Oval in 2023.
Shami's red-ball appearances have been limited since his return from a long injury layoff last November. He played a Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh, where he picked up seven wickets. More recently, he featured in the Duleep Trophy but had a below-par outing, managing just one wicket for 136 runs.
