Mohammed Shami has most probably played his last Test match as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is looking to the future and focusing on youngsters.
There was no place for the fast bowler as the selectors picked a 15-member squad for the two-Test series against South Africa, beginning at Eden Gardens on November 14.
The 35-year-old played his last Test against Australia during the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June 2023.
Shami picked 15 wickets in the first two Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal this season. He didn’t get a wicket in the last match against Tripura in Agartala, which ended on Tuesday, and has been rested for their next engagement.
Vice-captain Rishabh Pant returned to the 15-member squad along with Akash Deep in place of N. Jagadeesan and Prasidh Krishna, respectively, from the squad that played against the West Indies last month.
Shami has been troubled by an ankle injury since the 2023 World Cup for which he required surgery. It is understood that selector Rudra Pratap Singh, who was at Eden Gardens for Bengal’s Ranji match against Gujarat, didn’t suggest anything encouraging about Shami to the team management and Agarkar, which has virtually sealed his fate in red-ball cricket.
Whether the experienced pacer will be considered for the ODIs is also uncertain.
Shami had recently hit out at the selectors, saying it was not his job to update them about his fitness. With Mohammed Siraj forming a good combination with Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep’s progress proving to be encouraging, the national selectors aren’t willing to look back.
“The selection committee wants to lay the foundation for a team for the future and Shami doesn’t fit into their scheme of things,” someone in the know of things told The Telegraph.
Pant’s return to the side for the South Africa series was on expected lines. He had recovering from the foot fracture he suffered during the fourth Test against England in Manchester in July. Akash Deep has been laid low by a back injury which had kept him out of the Duleep Trophy but has since played two matches for Bengal.
Pant proved his match fitness with a solid 90 in the second innings as he led India A to victory in the first game against South Africa A in Bengaluru last week.
