Mohammed Shami’s Omission From Indian Squad Yet Again Has Bengal Head Coach Fuming 

Irfan Pathan believes Mohammed Shami can still return to the Team India fold, insisting he remains in contention despite continued absence.

Mohammed Shami’s Omission From Indian Squad Yet Again Has Bengal Head Coach Fuming 

Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla slammed the Team India selectors for repeatedly overlooking Mohammed Shami. (via Inside Sport)

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Mohammed Shami‘s exclusion from India’s ODI squad, this time for the upcoming series against New Zealand, suggests his international career may be nearing its end. This decision angered Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who slammed the selectors for disregarding the pacer.

Earlier this week, India’s 15-member squad for the three ODIs against the Blackcaps was announced. Initial reports had suggested that Mohammed Shami would make his much-awaited return to the side, given that he has been in good bowling form domestically. Shami picked up 16 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.93 in Bengal’s SMAT campaign and has followed it up with nine wickets in the VHT. 

The 35-year-old, however, was not picked in the Indian ODI squad for the home series, as the selectors brought back Mohammed Siraj for the 50-over format instead. Shami last represented the Men in Blue in the Champions Trophy final in March 2025. He concluded the tournament with nine wickets before an injury setback. Although he recovered in time for the IPL, Shami has not played for India since then.

Mohammed Shami has been repeatedly overlooked, missing all of the team’s recent fixtures, including the white-ball series against Australia and South Africa. Despite his ongoing participation in domestic cricket, chief selector Ajit Agarkar previously stated that Shami was excluded because he was not fully fit and was unavailable. With age also not on his side, this repeated omission suggests that Shami’s time with the national team might likely come to an end.

His exclusion from the team has left both fans and former players irked, Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla among them. Shukla strongly criticized the selectors and team management for moving past the experienced pacer, calling the decision to overlook Shami ‘unjust’ and ‘shameful’.

The 44-year-old, who played three ODIs for India, emphasized Mohammed Shami’s dedication and hard work, asserting that the right-arm quick is the most committed player at the moment. He told RevSportz:

The selectors have done injustice with [Mohammed] Shami. No player has played domestic cricket with as much dedication as Shami in the recent past. Even after toiling hard, what the selection committee has done with Shami is shameful.

Coming to the squad selected for the three ODIs against the Blackcaps, the selectors have chosen Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh as the pace-bowling options. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested to manage his workload ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Bengal crush Assam by 85 runs: Mohammed Shami and Abhimanyu Easwaran shine in VHT triumph

Mohammed Shami and Abhimanyu Easwaran led from the front, as Bengal claimed an impressive 85-run victory over Assam in a 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy elite group-stage encounter. The two sides faced each other at the Sanosara Cricket Ground B in Rajkot, Gujarat. 

Mohammed Shami and Abhimanyu Easwaran
Mohammed Shami and Abhimanyu Easwaran guided Bengal to an 85-run win over Assam in the VHT. (via Sportstar)

After winning the toss, Assam decided to bat first against a strong Bengal team that included seasoned domestic stars such as Easwaran, Shami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep, and Mukesh Kumar. Although Bengal opener Abhishek Porel was dismissed for only 11 runs, captain Abhimanyu Easwaran led the way with an excellent innings of 102 runs off 116 balls, which helped his team reach a total of 302/7.

All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed also made a significant contribution, scoring 66 runs off 57 balls. A 303-run chase seemed tricky for Assam, as Shami struck early, picking up opener Pradyun Saikia’s wicket in the very first over. The 35-year-old then took the wickets of Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Akash Sengupta, to finish with figures of 3/55. Assam could only last 42.1 overs, before they were bowled out for 217 runs.

Following the fifth round of fixtures in the VHT, Uttar Pradesh leads Group B with 20 points and five wins. Vidarbha is in second place with 16 points and four victories, while Bengal is tied with Vidarbha, holding the same number of wins and points.

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