Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s future with the Indian national cricket team currently looks uncertain as he has been left out of the team’s tours of England and Australia. Apart from his fitness concerns, the war of words between Mohammed Shami and chief selector Ajit Agarkar played a role in deciding the fate of the Bengal star.
Currently, the Men in Blue are in Australia for the white-ball series, and then they will focus on the two-match Test series against South Africa. The Proteas team is all set to tour India for two Tests, three ODIs and five T20 matches from November 14 to December 19.
Mohammed Shami’s future in India in doubt after clash with Ajit Agarkar!
The Indian selection committee is keeping a close eye on the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 matches as they are set to announce the Test squad within a few days. Mohammed Shami has also made a good impact with the ball in the first two matches of the current season for Bengal.
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However, the experienced fast bowler did not get any wicket in the drawn match between Bengal and Tripura. Shami has taken 15 wickets in three matches so far in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26, but these figures are unlikely to force the national selectors to reconsider their decision.
With Shami already out of the plans, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep are now being considered for the Test formats. Even Anshul Kamboj is in the news for the Test setup and then Arshdeep Singh is also in the news for overseas conditions.
Mohammed Shami unlikely to be selected for South Africa Test
According to a report by RevSportz journalist Rohit Juglan, Shami is not part of India’s current Test plans, and is unlikely to be selected in the squad for the upcoming home series against South Africa. He revealed that there are several options for the selectors who have now moved on from the Bengal pacer.
Despite being completely fit and in good form with the ball, there is a lot of uproar on social media over Shami being dropped from the Indian team. Even Agarkar cited his fitness problems for his neglect. Shami refuted the claims and questioned why not for India selection if he is fit for FC Cricket.
However, Shami’s inconsistent performances may go against him. Well, the journalist suggested that “external pressure” could help Shami retain his place in India’s Test team; Otherwise, he is definitely “not part of the selectors’ plans” for the Test format now.
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Tripura made a brilliant comeback against Bengal under the leadership of Hanuma Vihari.
Meanwhile, Tripura defeated Bengal on the third day of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 clash in Agartala, with Hanuma Vihari leading the fightback in style. Despite the score being 53/5 at one point, Tripura ended the day strongly at 273/7, just 63 runs short of Bengal’s total of 336.
Vihari’s unbeaten 121 and captain Manisankar Murasingh’s unbeaten 42 led to a strong 73-run partnership, which frustrated the Bengal bowlers and took Tripura to 385 runs. In the second innings, Bengal scored 90/3 in 25 overs as the game ended in a draw at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Agartala earlier this week.
