Mohammad Shami was not dropped from the England Test tour because of form, but it was due to him not being confident of his fitness, a recent report in the Telegraph revealed. Mohammad Shami, a 34-year-old bowler for India, has suffered from a string of ailments that have threatened to end his career.

Due to fitness concerns, Shami was left out of India's five-match Test series against England. According to recent sources, Shami was even consulted by the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee. The pacer himself, though, was unsure of his level of fitness.

According to the source, Shami's possible return for India depends on one or two crucial elements, and the selectors are eager to consider younger fast bowlers.

"First of all, he wasn't dropped because of form. Fitness issues are the only reason why he couldn't travel to England. After missing the last tour of Australia, his presence was pretty much needed for the England series.

The selectors had also spoken to him before finalizing the squad, but he didn't sound too confident. That much-needed assurance from him was missing. One also needs to know if Shami himself is keen on making a comeback in the longest format," a BCCI insider said, as per a report in The Telegraph.

Shami is still in the running for selection, but his future with India mostly rests on how well he performs in the Duleep Trophy, which starts on August 28. Shami is anticipated to be a member of the East Zone.

"What we need to see is whether he'll play even if East Zone clears the quarter-final stage and continues to make progress. Will his body permit it, given his dodgy knee and hamstring?" In the Ranji game, he used to bowl three or four overs in a spell and go off the ground. So, whether his body can take the rigors of a multi-day game goes on and on to be a tricky question," said the BCCI insider.

In the meantime, the BCCI selectors are keeping an eye on young pacers. Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna have impressed on the last two Test tours in Australia and England. Arshdeep Singh is also on the cusp of a Test debut.

"Age is not on Shami's side. The preference, thus, will be someone who still has seven or eight years of cricket left in him rather than an individual who'll be turning 35 soon," the insider said.

Mohammad Shami last played for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and then appeared in the IPL 2025 as well for Sunrisers Hyderabad.