Mohammed Shami keeps India return in sight as he focuses on Bengal cricket
Left out of India’s New Zealand tour squad, Shami says he still hopes to return but is concentrating on domestic matches, fitness and his bowling.
Mohammed Shami said on 20 October that he still hopes to return to India’s cricket team after being left out of the squad for its New Zealand tour. Speaking in New Delhi after Bengal’s Ranji Trophy match against Services, the fast bowler said his immediate focus was domestic cricket, fitness and improving his skills.
India TV reported that Shami had not spoken with India’s selectors. He said he was no longer under a central contract, but that his place outside the national team had not changed his ambition to play for it again.
“Why would I give up hope? Hope should always be there,” Shami said in comments to the media reported by India TV. He said Bengal’s goal was to win the Ranji Trophy and that players should continue to pursue their goals.
Why Shami missed Bengal’s match against Services
Shami also addressed his absence from Bengal’s Services match. India TV reported that he had initially been said to have a niggle, but Shami told reporters he was doing fine and expected to return to action soon. He said the pitch called for more spin bowlers and offered him little chance to contribute.
Bengal’s spinners took 19 of the 20 wickets as the team won by 60 runs inside three days, India TV reported. Reuters also reported Shami’s account that the selection decision reflected conditions favouring spin, rather than a fitness problem.
Shami’s India record and New Zealand tour
Shami last played for India in March 2025 during its Champions Trophy campaign, when he was the team’s joint-highest wicket-taker, according to Reuters. Across Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals, he has taken 462 wickets in 197 matches. Leg problems have interrupted his career.
India’s tour of New Zealand begins with a five-match Twenty20 series on Thursday, 22 October. Five one-day internationals and a two-Test series are scheduled to follow. Shami’s omission from the tour squad means he will not make his return in the selected group; he has given no date for a return to international cricket.
India TV reported that Shami declined to look ahead to the 2027 one-day World Cup. He said he would concentrate on the matches he can play now, along with his skills and fitness, rather than speculate about where he might stand next year.
Read in depth: Sports
Rays reach World Series with trade-built roster and one of MLB’s lowest payrolls
Tampa Bay’s third American League pennant puts its roster strategy in focus: 16 players arrived through trades, according to the Associated Press.
Adam Silver says LeBron James’s Fanatics helicopter deal is permissible if no team is involved
The NBA commissioner said players may make their own sponsor deals, while teams cannot help arrange them. Questions about the 76ers’ role remain unresolved.
Sources and context
- Bowler Shami not giving up hope of India returnReuters, republished by Channel NewsAsia
- Mohammed Shami reflects on India ambition, says 'hope should always be there'India TV News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.