 "BCCI insider reveals Mohammed Shami is being discussed by board on regular basis: 'He is not out of reckoning'")
Mohammed Shami is not out of reckoning as far as India’s ODI squad and the 2027 World Cup is concerned, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) insider has claimed. Shami last played for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in March, and was recently involved in a heated verbal battle with chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
But if a report in NDTV is to be believed, it’s still not over for the 35-year-old Bengal pacer, who has been India’s best pacer in the last two ODI World Cups. Shami took 14 wickets in just four matches in the 2019 ODI World Cup at an average of 13.79, and in the 2023 World Cup at home, he was the highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets in just seven matches at an amazing average of 10.71.
‘Shami is being discussed on a regular basis’
However, recurring ankle and knee injuries have kept him out of the Indian team for a while. But the scenario could change soon as his domestic performances are being “closely tracked” by the BCCI.
“Mohammed Shami is being discussed on a regular basis,” a BCCI insider told NDTV. “He is not out of reckoning. The only concern is about his fitness. A bowler of his calibre will get wickets. It is wrong to say he is out of the selection radar. He is looking good for the New Zealand One-Day series. Do not be surprised if he is picked, given his experience and ability to take wickets at will. Even the 2027 World Cup is a possibility.”
It must have been Shami’s terrific recent form that has brought him back in contention. Shami has 20 wickets in just four Ranji Trophy matches this season. In his last six matches, Shami has scalped 17 wickets across the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The truckload of wickets proves Shami’s wicket-taking ability, but also underlines his improving fitness, which had become a bone of contention.
Agarkar said in October 2025 that Shami was being kept out of the team due to poor fitness.
“He has been an incredible performer for India. If he said something, maybe that is a conversation for me to have with him or him to have with me. But even before England, we said if he was fit, he would have been on that plane. Unfortunately, he wasn’t," Agarkar said.
Quick Reads
View AllShami hit back at Agarkar by referring to his blistering form in the Ranji Trophy, while adding that his job was to continue putting in memorable performances.
It seems the tension between Shami and the selectors has cooled down, and they may be ready to allow him to make another comeback.
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