Sanju Samson, Shami shown the door; What BCCI is trying to tell us

MUMBAI: Jasprit Bumrah is a vital presence in all three formats for the Indian cricket team. The team is worried about the player being sidelined from many matches due to continuous injuries. Cricket experts pointed out that the Indian pace line-up is weak in Bumrah's absence and therefore better bowlers should be selected.

Although names like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami were mentioned, the BCCI considered newcomer Auqib Nabi Dar. Nabi's introduction is something to cheer about since not many players hailing from the valley have made it to the Indian team. However, things are not merrier for Mohammed Shami, who proved his mettle yet again in the last IPL season, but continues to lose his spot in the national squad. Shami last played for India in a Twenty20 match against England in 2025. He has not played Test cricket since 2023. His last match in ODIs was against New Zealand in 2025.

Shami, a regular in the Indian squad, was first replaced following an injury. However, despite his consistent performance in domestic cricket over the past year, the player failed to return to the national team. The selection committee, which includes Ajit Agarkar, decided that the player does not have the physical fitness required to play Test cricket. On the other hand, there is Nabi, who impressed the selectors with his skills and fitness. Moreover, the Kashmir native displayed top performances in the domestic tournaments lately.

In other words, the selectors are giving Shami a message that if he wants to return to the Test team, he must be ahead of the young pacers performing well in domestic cricket. A return to the national team will be possible only if he performs impressively in competitions including the Duleep Trophy. In clearer terms, the door to the national team will not open easily for Shami anymore.

There was also much discussion about Sanju Samson being dropped from the team despite the Malayali being the player of the tournament in the last T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Sanju said that he was not ready for any rat race with his teammates to get a call-up for national duty.