Veteran speedster Mohammad Shami feels that Team India needs the skill and experience of both him and Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, which begins the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC). He has not played Test cricket since the 2023 WTC Final, and he was not considered for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Australia after fitness concerns as well.

“Aaj kal ke cricket mey senior aur junior ka kahan fark hai (the distinction between youngsters and senior players doesn’t really exist in today’s cricket)! All are mature enough for international cricket these days due to the huge exposure in the IPL,” Mohammad Shami said in an interview with the Times of India.

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“The important thing to see is how the team is formed and what combinations are made. So in that sense, mera aur Bumrah ka rahna zaroori hai (it’s important for me and Bumrah to be present on the England tour).Leading the bowling unit is important,” he added.

Mohammad Shami also opined on his preparations for the England tour to meet the requirements of a thrilling red-ball series.

“I’m trying my best, doing hard work, performing strength exercises, attending practice sessions regularly, delivering maximum numbers of balls in the nets and managing my workload as much as possible. Red ball ke liye workload badhana padega (for red-ball cricket, the workload needs to be increased). The series is right after the IPL. There’s also an India ‘A’ series. So, it is hectic for everybody. No, I am not satisfied. I couldn’t deliver what I wanted to. I didn’t meet expectations. But still, I feel I can give my best in any format, any time if given the opportunity,” Mohammad Shami concluded.