Mohammed Shami’s hopes of making a comeback to the India National Cricket Team have suffered another setback on October 16. Actually, Mohammed Shami has once again been ignored by the selectors, as the BCCI announced the ODI and Test squads for the upcoming New Zealand tour.

The 36-year-old fast bowler was already overlooked for the five-match T20I series, and now his exclusion from Test and ODI squads raised questions about his India future. Shami last played for India in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March 2025. Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja denied Rohit-Kohli treatment, dropped from India’s 2027 World Cup plans.

Mohammed Shami’s strong domestic performances fail to impress Indian selectors

Mohammed Shami has been bowling well in domestic cricket, but his performances have not been enough to earn him a place in the India National Cricket Team. It is being said that the team management has concerns about his fitness and ability to bowl long spells.

And that’s why the selectors have been looking towards younger fast bowlers. Since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final, Shami has not got a single game despite performing well in domestic cricket across the formats, and even he had a brilliant start to the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season.

The Bengal bowler picked up seven wickets in three matches for East Zone in the 2026 Duleep Trophy. During the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, he claimed 37 wickets in seven matches for Bengal at an impressive average of 16.72. In the first match of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season, Shami took four wickets for 30 runs and one for 29 against Delhi.

Shami lost selectors and team management's trust!

He bowled 17.3 overs in the first innings, which shows that he can bowl the longer spells. However, these performances have not changed the selectors’ decision.

It is being said that the team management is not fully convinced about Shami’s fitness and whether he can handle the demands of bowling longer spells at the international level. Amid this, Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist reject Mumbai Indians head coach job.

An Indian Express journalist posted on X: “Selectors and team management don’t have any trust in Mohd Shami’s fitness despite him playing the Ranji Trophy. They feel he can’t bowl longer spells, and that is why they are going with young bowlers.”

Selectors and Team management don’t have any trust in Mohd Shami’s fitness despite him playing Ranji Trophy. They feel he can’t bowl longer spell and that is why they are going with young bowlers. #Shami

— Devendra Pandey (@pdevendra) O c t o b e r 1 7 , 2 0 2 6

Why Bhuvneshwar Kumar got India recall but Mohammed Shami continues to be ignored

Shami’s exclusion has attracted more attention because India has recalled Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is also 36, to the T20I squad for the New Zealand tour. Bhuvneshwar was also recalled for the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies before the New Zealand tour.

The decision has raised questions about why one experienced fast bowler has received another opportunity while Shami remains out of the picture despite impressive performances.

There has been no official explanation from the BCCI for Shami’s omission from the New Zealand squads. However, concerns about his fitness and ability to sustain his workload are reportedly among the reasons behind the selectors’ decision to look at younger options.

Mohammed Shami’s impressive numbers make his absence surprising

Shami has taken 229 wickets in Test cricket at an average of 27.71 and 206 wickets in ODIs at 24.05. He was also India’s leading wicket-taker at the 2023 ODI World Cup, finishing the tournament with 24 wickets. His last test appearance came in the WTC final in June 2023.

Shami claimed six wickets in nine matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025 before taking 12 wickets in 13 matches for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026.