Former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has advocated for senior pacer Mohammad Shami’s selection in India’s squad for the upcoming five-Test tour of England.
The right-arm quick hasn’t played Test cricket for 23 months, with his last appearance coming against Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final.
After a 14-month injury layoff, Shami made his return to competitive cricket during the Ranji Trophy late last year for Bengal. He also featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before being named in India's T20I squad for the home series against England. He was then picked in the Champions Trophy squad.
However, Shami has failed to make a mark in the IPL 2025 season. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he has rarely completed his full quota of four overs.
In nine outings, Shami has claimed just six wickets, conceding runs at an economy rate of 11.23. He has leaked runs in the powerplay and the death, and his poor show has contributed to SRH’s debacle.
Considering his current form, some experts and former cricketers have raised doubts on Shami’s readiness to play Test cricket. However, Sidhu thinks otherwise.
“Let me tell you about Shami — a lot of people might be thinking, 'No, he’s expensive with the white ball,' but that's wrong. When the red ball comes into play, the seam protrudes — it's almost upright, and it stays that way. When the seam hits, Shami makes it nip off the surface by about six inches, and that movement causes more trouble than the one that swings in the air. That’s why, as a red-ball bowler, he is a match-winner — out and out,” Sidhu told Sports Today.
Shami has played 14 Tests in England, wherein he has claimed 42 wickets at an average of 40.50 with best figures of 4/57 in an innings. In his absence, the onus of leading India’s pace attack fell on Jasprit Bumrah’s shoulders alone during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25.
While Bumrah did an exceptional job by taking 32 wickets from 9 innings, he was overburdened throughout the series due to lack of support. Hence, Shami’s presence will be extremely crucial in England.
