Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has strongly criticized the national selectors following veteran pacer Mohammad Shami’s retirement announcement from Test cricket.
Shastri expressed profound disappointment that the 36-year-old was not given an opportunity to make a Test comeback despite repeatedly proving his fitness and form while representing Bengal in domestic red-ball cricket.
Shami called time on his Test career on November 6, exactly 13 years after making his debut. He left the format with 229 wickets from 64 matches, but his final red-ball appearance for India came in the June 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
"It's sad when someone who's played so well for the country has to go. I definitely thought he had another 30 or 40 wickets in him. He should have played in the last 12 months and perhaps should have been in the side as a Test-match bowler," Shastri said while speaking on Sony Sports Network ahead of India's second ODI against New Zealand in Wellington.
Following his heroics as the leading wicket-taker (24 scalps) at the 2023 ODI World Cup, Shami underwent ankle surgery in early 2024 and faced subsequent knee setbacks, which ruled him out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
The right-arm quick returned to white-ball international cricket in January 2025 for series against England and featured in the Champions Trophy. However, he missed out on Test selection for the England tour in 2025, with then chief selector Ajit Agarkar citing in the media that Shami's workload was not where it needed to be and that medical staff had advised against picking him for a grueling red-ball series.
However, Shastri heavily questioned the team management and BCCI selection committee's obsession with gym-based physical testing rather than evaluating match workload.
"What's the point of being fit in the gym if you can't bowl 10 or 12 overs in a match? Here, you've got a workhorse who's bowling for you. So, I'm a little disappointed that he didn't get another go," Shastri stated.
"I've heard all these press reports about his fitness not being good, but he was playing every game for Bengal. He was bowling 15-20 overs. What more do you want a player to do to prove his fitness?" he added.
While he has hung up his boots in the longest format, Shami specified that he will remain active and continue to play white-ball cricket both at the domestic level and in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shastri believes Shami should remain prepared for an international comeback rather than viewing his India career as finished. He emphasized that a demanding international schedule makes injuries highly likely, making an experienced bowler invaluable if a front-line pacer becomes unavailable.
"If he's in good form and has a good IPL, and one of your senior bowlers suddenly breaks down, you'll be looking for experience. But you've got a player like him there," Shastri remarked.
