Indian star pacer Mohammed Shami made his return to the national team last year during the Champions Trophy held in Pakistan and Dubai, after a year-long break. Though he impressed initially after recovering from injury, the right-arm fast bowler has struggled with form recently. In the ongoing IPL, Shami has failed to make a significant impact. Amid this, speculation has emerged that he may be dropped from India’s upcoming tour of England.
Starting June 20, India is scheduled to play a five-Test series on English soil. The series is expected to mark the beginning of a new era under a captain who will succeed Rohit Sharma. At the same time, discussions around Virat Kohli’s potential retirement have created a stir in the cricketing world, although no official announcement has been made yet.
Meanwhile, concerns over Shami’s current form have been voiced by a BCCI spokesperson. In an interview with the Times of India, the official hinted that Shami might be excluded from the upcoming series.
The spokesperson, whose identity was not revealed by the media outlet, said:
“Shami’s place in the team is not confirmed yet. He only returned to the national setup a few months ago, but we haven’t seen him at his best. While IPL form isn’t the sole basis for national selection, he seems to be struggling with his run-up. His deliveries aren’t reaching the wicketkeeper properly — something we’ve never seen from him before. He’s rushing back to the dressing room after just one spell. That’s not how one can play Test cricket.”
Currently, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are considered India’s two main pace weapons in Test cricket. However, both are facing uncertainty ahead of the upcoming Test tour of England. Bumrah recently returned to action in the IPL after recovering from an injury. While he has looked in good rhythm, it may be unrealistic to expect him to handle the workload of all five Tests.
In this situation, the selectors had initially planned to ensure that at least one of the two pacers—Shami or Bumrah—would be available throughout the series. But now, even that plan is in jeopardy.
Commenting on the growing concerns, a BCCI official said:
“The initial plan was to ensure that either Shami or Bumrah could play all five Tests. But if Bumrah needs to be rested and Shami is also unavailable, that will be a problem for us. We are trying to understand what exactly is troubling Shami. If he can’t return to full rhythm, he may not be picked for the England tour.”
UA / TDS
