Why Is Mohammed Shami Not Selected For Test Series Against New Zealand?

Mohammed Shami is still recovering from his injury (Source:@mufaddal_vohra/X.com)Mohammed Shami is still recovering from his injury (Source:@mufaddal_vohra/X.com)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced a 15-member squad for New Zealand series. Yash Dayal is the only exclusion from the squad with selectors deciding to go with 15 players instead of 16 they went with in Bangladesh series. Jasprit Bumrah has been named as the vice-captain of the side, but Mohammed Shami who was touted to make his comeback in the series has not been named in the squad.

His omission has put his participation in the Border Gavaskar Trophy in doubt as well and selectors seem to be looking at other options with the likes of Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna included in travelling reserves for the New Zealand series. 

As far as Mohammed Shami is concerned, he is still recovering from the ankle injury and has been out of action since World Cup 2023 and it is the reason of his non-selection in the Indian team for New Zealand series. He underwent a surgery in February 2024 to heal his Achilles Tendon and since has been working his way upto full fitness.

Mohammed Shami's Participation In BGT Doubtful

He recently started bowling in full tilt in NCA, and was expected to play for Bengal in Ranji Trophy ahead of his international comeback. However, it seems that he is still not ready to play competitive cricket and might miss the Australian tour as well. Recently, there were rumours that Shami has suffered a fresh knee injury, but the cricketer himself bashed those speculations and stated that he is working hard to gain full fitness. 

Now, all eyes would be on Shami's participation in Ranji games for Bengal. If he does play in Ranji Trophy, he might make his comeback in the Border Gavaskar Trophy as India would need his experience in tough Australian conditions. However, if he fails to get back to competitive cricket in the next month or so, he would most likely miss the flight to Australia.