Former India captain Sourav Ganguly had a not-so-popular opinion, saying pacer Mohammed Shami is not being neglected by the selection committee, as the speedster has played several matches for the country. The veteran bowler last played for the country in the Champions Trophy last year and has been on the sidelines ever since, despite a string of good performances in domestic cricket, especially the Ranji Trophy.
Last year, Shami and the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, also had a falling-out of sorts after the two gave differing public statements. After ignoring the pacer for the West Indies Tests, Agarkar had said that there were concerns about Shami’s fitness; however, the latter came out publicly, saying that if there were issues, then he wouldn’t have been playing the Ranji Trophy.
Even when Jasprit Bumrah has been unavailable due to fitness concerns, India has chosen to go with young pacers like Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, ignoring Shami. However, Ganguly believes that it isn’t a case of the senior pro being neglected.
The former India skipper also added that it is tough to comment on whether Shami would make the final 15 for the 50-over World Cup, set to be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe next year.
“He is doing well day in and day out in domestic cricket. I, too, have not played for a year with the national team after scoring 10,000 runs, but have made a comeback. He is trying to do well don’t know why he has not been picked. But he is doing well and is performing well,” Ganguly told reporters.
“It’s tough to comment on whether he will play in the 2027 World Cup or not because the World Cup is one year later. He has not been neglected. He played a lot,” he added.
Shami’s performance in the Duleep Trophy
In the recent Duleep Trophy final, Shami returned with two wickets, dismissing Shaik Rasheed and Smaran Ravichandran. The East Zone, under the leadership of Ishan Kishan, went on to lift the title on the basis of a first-innings lead. This was the first time in 13 years that the East Zone registered a triumph in the Duleep Trophy.
In the three matches Shami played in the 2026 Duleep Trophy, he returned with seven wickets, with his best figures being 3/56 in the second innings of the semi-final against the Central Zone.
