Mohammed Shami's cricket career has found a new downturn, as his 15-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 was blatantly ignored. Shami was again snubbed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Selection Committee, in the Test squad against South Africa. Shami’s coach has voiced his frustration over this decision, calling it a perfect excuse for fitness.
“They’ve made up their minds,” says Mohammed Shami’s coach
Shami’s personal coach, Mohammed Badruddin, voiced his frustration over the decision, alleging that the BCCI has deliberately chosen to sideline the senior fast bowler. In an interview with India Today, Badruddin criticised the selectors for citing fitness concerns, calling it an “excuse” to justify Shami’s exclusion.
“They are ignoring him, that’s clear. There’s no other reason that makes sense to me,” said Badruddin. “He’s not unfit — when a player is taking 15 wickets in two Ranji games, how can you call him unfit? The selectors are just overlooking him. Why they are doing that, only they can say.”
Badruddin went on to suggest that the decision to leave Shami out of the South Africa Test squad was “pre-decided” by the Ajit Agarkar-led panel. The pacer wasn’t even considered for the India A squad for the unofficial Tests or ODIs against South Africa A, signalling that the selectors had already moved on from him.
“It looks like they’ve made up their minds that they won’t pick him for now, and that’s completely wrong,” Badruddin added. “If you’re selecting a Test team, it should be based on Ranji Trophy performances. Instead, it seems they’re using T20 metrics for Tests, which makes no sense. All this talk about fitness or performance is just an excuse.”
Shami last represented India on March 9, 2025, in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, where he finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets in five matches.
Coach confident of a strong comeback
Badruddin admitted that Shami is understandably upset about the continued snub but remains confident that the veteran quick will make a powerful comeback.
“Obviously, he’s disturbed. Anyone would be. When you’re performing and still not getting picked, it’s frustrating,” he said. “But I’m confident he’ll return stronger and silence everyone. You can’t ignore a player who’s done so much for India, especially after his performances in the World Cup.”
Shami could feature in the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction after an underwhelming 2025 season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he struggled to find rhythm and consistency.
