Mohammed Shami, Indian cricket’s silent servant deserves clarity and respect

Mohammed Shami missing out on a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) central contract didn’t come as a surprise to the followers of Indian cricket. To be eligible for a central contract a player needs to play at least a game across any of the three formats of international cricket in the last 12 months. Shami last played for India in the Champions Trophy, in March last year.

But what certainly comes across as a surprise is the national selection committee turning a blind eye, despite the seasoned fast bowler proving his mettle in all formats of domestic cricket.

Shami, spearheading Bengal’s fast bowling unit this season, has claimed 28 wickets so far in the Ranji Trophy. He proved a point in white-ball cricket as well, scalping 16 wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, followed by 15 scalps in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In contrast, Siraj, who has been called in as a last-minute replacement for the T20 World Cup, has picked seven wickets in four Syed Mushtaq Ali games and seven wickets in three Vijay Hazare Trophy games, while Bumrah did not feature in domestic games. Harshit Rana played just two VHT matches, taking five wickets.

The conditions did not matter to Shami. Neither did the opponent. Shami, in his own free-flowing way, kept increasing his wickets tally, despite the national selectors ignoring him constantly.

For a better part of last year, whenever Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of the selection committee, addressed the media, there would invariably questions on Shami’s omission and whether there were any injury concerns for him, especially after he emerged as India’s highest wicket-taker in the Champions Trophy and never played for India thereafter. The fast bowler picked nine wickets in five matches, leading India’s bowling attack in the absence of Bumrah as India went on to win the trophy under the leadership of Rohit Sharma.

READ | Shami fires back at Agarkar: Let him say whatever he wants to, you’ve seen how I bowled

But Agarkar’s response was mostly non-committal “I have no updates.”

Stories floated that Shami refused the board’s request to fly to England in July last year for the Test series despite the national selectors and support staff from the BCCI Centre of Excellence constantly checking on him. The reports claimed that the selection committee was desperate to get his services in England, as Jasprit Bumrah could not have played more than three Tests. Shami, the reports claimed, responded by saying that he still needs to build his workload and shouldn’t be considered for the assignment.

But neither Shami confirmed it, nor did the selectors deny it.

Series came and went – the England Tests, followed by Test series against West Indies and South Africa at home – players suffered injuries, including Harshit Rana being ruled out of the T20 World Cup, but selectors still didn’t consider Shami, indicating that they were looking beyond him.

But things snowballed quickly after an emotional Shami hit out at the selectors in October, saying that it’s not his job to keep them updated about his fitness. R.P. Singh, a member of the selection panel, was seen talking to the fast bowler at Eden Gardens in October and in Kalyani last week. But what they spoke about never came out in the open, and Shami continued to be omitted.

Now, the question remains whether the selectors have formally informed the 36-year-old that he wouldn’t be considered going forward? It doesn’t look like it. Shami, as the Bengal coaching staff point out, still dreams of donning the India colours, but does not know what lies ahead?

The current selection committee has often drawn flak from senior players, including Ajinkya Rahane, who have accused them of not communicating properly. Their eerie silence on the Shami episode only raises more eyebrows.

Is age a factor for Shami? Is he not good enough to bowl longer spells? Is workload management an area of concern?

Questions are aplenty, but there are no answers. Until the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy, Shami has delivered more than 190 overs across 11 innings for Bengal, proving that he still has it in him to bowl longer spells and be on the field for the entire duration of a four-day game.

As Bengal gears up for the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy against Jammu and Kashmir, Shami will once again spearhead the team’s bowling unit and hope to make every opportunity count.

Over the last one year, the 35-year-old has been doing his job silently. It’s time for the selectors to decide whether to give him another chance.

lndia has a busy calendar in 2026, with a white-ball series against England in June, followed by two Test series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively, and the team will benefit from his experience, especially as the think-tank looks at prioritising workload management.