Mohammed Shami’s continued absence from India’s Test and ODI plans has now started raising a much bigger question around his international future. India chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s latest remarks after the Afghanistan squad announcement have only intensified the feeling that the selectors may have finally started moving on from the veteran pacer.
Shami was once again left out of both India’s ODI and Test squads for the Afghanistan series despite remaining active in domestic cricket and the IPL after his long injury recovery phase. Speaking at the press conference following India’s squad announcement on Tuesday, May 19, Agarkar admitted that Shami was never part of the discussion for the longer formats this time either.
IND vs AFG, SQUAD SELECTION: UPDATES
““No (discussions on Shami’s Test return). As far as we have been told that at this point…his body is allowing him to (play), I know he has played a domestic season this year. But from the information that I have got, is that at this point it’s T20 cricket that he’s sort of ready for. So there was no discussion regarding him,” Agarkar said.
The statement immediately triggered fresh discussions around Shami’s standing within India’s setup, especially because the veteran fast bowler has continued playing competitive cricket consistently across formats after returning from surgery.
Shami last played for India during the Champions Trophy final in March 2025 before disappearing from India’s ODI and Test plans completely over the past few months.
The pacer has also remained one of Lucknow Super Giants’ key bowlers during IPL 2026 despite the franchise enduring a disappointing campaign. Shami has picked up 10 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 8.81 while often bowling during difficult phases of innings.
Even before this Afghanistan series snub, Shami had already been overlooked for India’s ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year despite a strong domestic season for Bengal.
The veteran had picked up 47 wickets across 16 domestic matches, including 20 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, 16 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 11 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Despite those numbers, the selectors continued prioritising younger fast bowlers across formats.
WHY WAS SHAMI SNUBBED?
Shami’s absence from India’s Test and ODI squads largely comes down to concerns around fitness management and long-term workload planning.
Following his heel and Achilles surgery, the Indian management has remained extremely cautious about pushing him back into multi-format cricket too quickly.
Even after Shami returned successfully to domestic cricket, there were lingering doubts within the setup about whether his body could consistently handle the physical demands of Test cricket and long ODI workloads again.
Earlier this year, Shami and his personal coach had also publicly expressed frustration over the lack of communication regarding the exact fitness benchmarks required for his comeback into the national side.
Agarkar’s latest comments now suggest that the selectors currently only view Shami as being physically ready for T20 cricket rather than the longer formats.
At 35, Shami’s situation is also colliding with India’s larger transition plans within the fast-bowling department.
With India gradually building towards the next ODI World Cup cycle and future Test tours, the selectors appear increasingly focused on younger quicks capable of staying available across formats for longer periods.
WHO WERE PICKED OVER SHAMI IN TEST AND ODI SQUAD?
India’s squad selections for the Afghanistan series made that transition strategy quite clear.
For the ODI squad, the selectors preferred Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna ahead of Shami, while Manav Suthar and maiden call-up Gurnoor Brar were also included.
In the Test setup, the selectors continued backing younger pace options including Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar.
The repeated preference towards younger seamers across both squads has now intensified speculation that India may already be preparing for a future beyond Shami in red-ball and 50-over cricket.
INDIA VS AFGHANISTAN ODI SQUAD
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
INDIA VS AFGHANISTAN TEST SQUAD
Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc) Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel
– Ends
