Veteran pacer Mohammad Shami continues to remain out of the Indian team. The 35-year-old was ignored once again as the BCCI announced India’s squads for the one-off Test and three-match ODI series against Afghanistan on Tuesday (May 19).
Shami’s last appearance for India was in March 2025 in an ODI match. He recovered from a knee injury and made a remarkable comeback with stunning exploits in domestic cricket, but failed to earn a national call-up.
Currently, Shami is plying his trade in the IPL 2026 for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He has claimed 10 wickets in 12 matches while bowling at an economy rate of 8.81.
When asked about Shami’s snub for the Afghanistan series, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed they were informed the senior pacer is only ready for T20 cricket, effectively ruling him out of Test and ODI contention.
“As far as we have been told, at this point, his body is allowing him to [play only the shortest format]. I know he has played the domestic season this year. But the information I have is that, at this point, T20 cricket is what he is ready for. So, there was no discussion regarding Shami’s selection,” Agarkar told media after the announcement of India’s squads for Afghanistan series.
The chairman of selectors also addressed the decision to overlook Auqib Nabi, who played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir's 2025-26 Ranji Trophy triumph with 60 scalps at an incredible average of 12.56.
Punjab pacer Gurnoor Brar was preferred as the backup pacer behind Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
“There is always a chat around someone who has done well the last couple of seasons. You do not necessarily pick a lot of seamers when you pick a Test team in India. And he was close,” Agarkar said.
“But at this point, we have gone with the three that we have picked. But there was certainly a chat around Nabi. There is no doubt. He has had some incredible performances for Jammu & Kashmir,” he added.
India squad for one-off Test against Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
India squad for Afghanistan ODI series: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey
