Mohammed Shami’s childhood coach, Mohammed Badruddin, has voiced strong concerns over what he believes is a deliberate oversight by the BCCI selectors. According to him, Shami’s name is being repeatedly ignored despite the veteran pacer proving his fitness and delivering standout red-ball performances this season. Shami, who returned from an ankle injury last year, wasn’t immediately reintroduced into the national setup. Instead, he went back to domestic cricket—determined to show he was ready for the longest format.
While Shami did feature in white-ball cricket for India earlier this year, his comeback to Test cricket has remained elusive. His performances in the Ranji Trophy have been impressive: 15 wickets in three games for Bengal at an outstanding average of 15.5.
Yet when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced the squad for the home Test series against South Africa, Shami’s name was conspicuously absent. Mohammed Badruddin believes this omission makes little cricketing sense, especially with Jasprit Bumrah carrying a heavy workload.
WATCH – Harmanpreet Kaur Tells PM Narendra Modi Why She Kept the World Cup Match Ball
“My thought is simple—they are ignoring him, that’s clear. There’s no other reason that makes sense to me,” Badruddin told India Today. “He’s not unfit. A player who takes 15 wickets in two games doesn’t look unfit from anywhere. I don’t think he’s unfit at all.”
He added that picking Shami for the South Africa series would have allowed the Indian management to rotate their fast bowlers better. “Bumrah cannot play three-and-a-half Tests in a row. Shami should have been there to share that burden. Keeping him in the squad would’ve helped reduce Bumrah’s workload.”
The long-time coach also criticised what he feels is an inconsistent and flawed approach toward Test selection. According to him, a player’s place in the red-ball squad should depend on his performances in tournaments like the Ranji Trophy—not on how he fares in T20 cricket.
WATCH – Amol Muzumdar Reveals Team India’s Manifestation Moment After Skipping King Charles Photo Op
“I think they’ve already made up their minds that they won’t pick him for now, and that’s completely wrong,” Badruddin said. “When you select a Test team, it should be based on Ranji performances. If you’re using T20 metrics to form a Test squad, that’s not right.”
He went on to state that talk around Shami’s match fitness is merely an excuse. “It looks like decisions are pre-decided. They already know which players they want. Saying ‘he’s unfit’ or ‘needs match practice’—that’s not true. They already have a plan about who they want to play and who they don’t.”
