NEW DELHI: Mohammed Shami's continued omission from the national side has sparked strong reactions after the senior pacer was once again left out of India's squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand.
The decision has irked former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who insisted that Shami has done everything required to earn a recall to the team.
"The biggest talking point is Mohammed Shami. What is his future? He's not someone who came yesterday, played a few matches and left. He has taken 450-500 international wickets, which is a huge number. If you have taken more than 400 wickets and then you get dropped and questions are raised about your fitness - that happens with everyone. As long as you play cricket, you have to keep proving yourself," said Irfan on his YouTube channel.
Mohammed Shami’s omission triggers strong reaction from Bengal camp
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier cited fitness as the primary reason for Shami's exclusion, but Pathan countered that argument by insisting the pacer has already proved his fitness.
Pathan pointed out that no bowler could deliver more than 200 overs unless he was fully fit, underlining that Shami had met all the required standards.
"But Shami has already bowled 200 overs. After bowling 200 overs, if fitness is the question, then fitness has already been shown. What more improvement is needed, only the selection committee knows what they are thinking. If I were him, I would go and play the IPL and create havoc. I would take the new ball and perform at such a level.
Domestic cricket performances are discussed, but when the IPL comes and you show your old rhythm and fitness, then no one can ignore you. The whole world watches the IPL. If you perform there, you make your place in the squad again. I believe his doors should not be closed," he added.
The senior pacer has been out of the national setup since his last international appearance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final in March 2025.
Shami was left out of the Test squads for the series against England, West Indies and South Africa, before also missing selection for the ODI assignments against Australia and now New Zealand.
India ODI squad for NZ series: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC; subject to fitness clearance), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
