End Of The Road For Shami?

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami's India career appears to be all but over after he was once ignored for the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, despite having proved his fitness in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.

The latest snub has put a question mark over the senior pacer's career.

The 35-year-old speedster impressed with the ball for Bengal in the first three matches of the new Ranji season, sending down a total of 93 overs.

He picked up 15 wickets at an average of 15.53, with one five-wicket haul, guiding Bengal to successive wins over Uttarakhand and Gujarat in the first two games.

However, according to reports the selectors are not fully convinced about Shami's fitness.

Despite bowling 93 overs across three matches -- albeit in short spells --  and taking 15 wickets the selectors remain uncertain if his body can withstand the rigours of Test cricket which demand long spells, according to a report in PTI.

Even in domestic cricket, Shami often takes extended breaks between spells, the report added.

Shami's outburst against chief selector Ajit Agarkar after not being considered for the West Indies Test series last month and also for the ODI series in Australia, seems to have gone against him.

Shami, prior to Bengal's Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand, while slamming the selectors, expressed his anguish at being overlooked for the ODIs against Australia, stating that if he is fit for the Ranji Trophy, he might as well have also played 50 over cricket.

BCCI

Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar clarified that Shami wasn't selected for the England series because he wasn't fit and his general match fitness hasn't been up to the scratch in the last six to eight months.

'If Shami was here, I would give him an answer. If he is fit, why wouldn't we have a bowler like Shami? I have had multiple chats with him. Over the last six to eight months, what we have found out is that he wasn't fit. He wasn't fit to be picked for the England tour,' Agarkar told the NDTV World Summit on October 17.

Replying to Agarkar's remarks, Shami retorted: "Let him say whatever he wants. You've seen how I bowled. It’s all in front of your eyes."

Since India are not scheduled to play Test cricket for at least six months after the South Africa series, the selectors' decision effectively shuts the door on Shami for now. The veteran pacer has 462 international wickets to his name across formats.

He last played a Test match in 2023 and competed in ODIs and T20Is this year.

With Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna, the pace department is more or less settled in Test format.  

Also earning a recall to the Test fold was Bengal pacer Akash Deep after recovering from a shoulder injury. He recently made a comeback to competitive cricket by playing in the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy. 

He is also part of India A squad that will take on South Africa A in second four-day game, starting Thursday in Bengaluru.

India's pace attack features Bumrah and Siraj, while the spin department will once again rely on Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounder Washington Sundar.

The first Test will be played in Kolkata from November 14, followed by the second in Guwahati from November 22.