Mohammed Shami Refuses to Give Up on India Return, Sends Clear Message on His Fitness
Experienced fast bowler Mohammed Shami has still not given up hope of returning to the Indian national team. He did not find a place in the ODI and Test squads announced for the New Zealand tour, but he remains completely confident in his own ability. Being out of the team, in his view, does not mean giving up.
For Shami, who has fought a long battle with injury to return to the field, domestic cricket is now the main stage on which to prove himself. In the Ranji Trophy for Bengal, he took four wickets against Delhi. That performance signalled that he is finding his rhythm again.
However, he did not play the next match against Services. That absence started fresh questions about his fitness. Many outside observers assumed he had not taken the field because he was not fully fit.
Shami himself answered those questions. He said that on a spin-friendly wicket, there was no need for him as a pacer to bowl many overs. In other words, the match situation and the nature of the pitch were behind the decision, not any lack of fitness.
On his fitness, Shami said, 'I am still in my best rhythm. There is no point beating around the bush.' With that direct comment, he made clear that he has no doubts in his own mind about his physical condition.
He was just as clear about the prospect of returning to the national team. Shami said, 'Why would I give up hope? One should always have hope. In any profession or sport, you need a goal. I have that goal too.'
Behind Shami's confidence stands his record on the biggest stage. At the 2023 ODI World Cup he was India's highest wicket-taker. His bowling in that home World Cup was one of the foundations of India's run to the final.
He last played for the national team at the 2025 Champions Trophy. Since then — time out of the side, the fight with injury and discussion about his age — many had begun to feel that the final chapter of his international career had begun.
But Shami himself refuses to accept that calculation. For now, holding his rhythm in domestic cricket is his target. He is giving more importance to performing well in every match than to thinking ahead about the future.
His reasoning is simple — rather than worrying in advance about what will happen, performance on the field has the final say. Wickets and consistency are the only way to catch the selectors' eyes, and that is the path he wants to walk.
India's pace attack now has a growing crowd of young bowlers, and competition is fierce. Even so, experience and the ability to handle the pressure of big matches remain strong arguments in Shami's favour.
It remains to be seen whether consistent performances in domestic cricket can force the selectors to think again. In Shami's own words, he is not giving up hope — the rest will be told by time and by his bowling.
