Shami's last appearance for India was during the Champions Trophy 2025 triumph in March.
In what comes as a massive development, veteran pacer Mohammad Shami is likely to make his much-awaited return for India next month.
According to a NDTV report, the BCCI selection committee is set to take a U-turn on Shami, who had a public fallout with chief selector Ajit Agarkar after being overlooked constantly.
Shami's last appearance for India was during the Champions Trophy 2025 triumph in March, and he continues to grind hard in domestic cricket in an attempt to don the national jersey again.
After his poor show in the IPL 2025, the right-arm quick was ignored for the Test tour of England followed by the Asia Cup in UAE, home Test series against West Indies, white-ball tour of Australia and the all-format series against South Africa at home.
Now, if the latest reports are to be believed, the selectors haven’t shut the doors on Shami and he might earn a recall to the national team for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand and his path to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa remains a realistic goal as well.
“Shami is being discussed on a regular basis. He is not out of reckoning. The only concern is about his fitness. A bowler of his calibre will get wickets. It is wrong to say he is out of the selection radar. He is looking good for the New Zealand One-Day series. Do not be surprised if he is picked, given his experience and ability to take wickets at will. Even the 2027 World Cup is a possibility,” NDTV quoted a BCCI source as saying.
When it seemed that the selectors have moved on from Shami, he went back to the roots of the game. The 35-year-old didn’t just play domestic cricket, he dominated it.
In the first half of the Ranji Trophy 2025/26, Shami took 20 wickets, including a fifer against Gujarat. Then came a superb Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he picked up 16 wickets in just 7 matches for Bengal, after which Sourav Ganguly advocated for his India comeback.
Now, Shami has carried his terrific form into the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, returning with six wickets in first three games to further strengthen his claims for India comeback.
(With NDTV Inputs)