As India gears up to kick off their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 campaign with a challenging five-match Test series in England starting June 20 at Headingley, Leeds, the spotlight has turned sharply on their bowling unit—and not for the best reasons. Reports now suggest that senior pacer Mohammed Shami is unlikely to feature in the tour due to ongoing fitness concerns.
According to The Indian Express, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is hesitant to include the veteran pacer after BCCI’s medical team flagged issues regarding his ability to bowl long spells. While Shami has been turning up for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, bowling four-over spells, the board remains uncertain about whether he can sustain the physical toll of delivering 10-15 overs a day across five back-to-back Tests in English conditions.
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“Shami is bowling four overs in IPL, but there’s no clarity if he can manage Test-level workloads. England tours demand stamina and patience, and the selectors can’t afford to gamble,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
Mohammed Shami is unlikely to play in the Test series against England ❌
Arshdeep Singh or Anshul Kamboj likely to be picked for the Test series against England✅ pic.twitter.com/d61KvsBIe1
— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) May 23, 2025
With Jasprit Bumrah also indicating that he won’t be able to play all five Tests, Shami’s potential absence adds further complexity to India’s pace attack. His last appearance in whites came in the 2023 WTC final against Australia at The Oval. The 34-year-old has 229 Test wickets from 64 matches at an average of 27.71—an experience India could sorely miss, especially with senior figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin having recently stepped away from red-ball cricket.
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Shami’s unavailability could open the door for emerging pacers like Arshdeep Singh, who played County cricket for Kent last season, or Anshul Kamboj, who’s been picked for India A’s red-ball series against England Lions. Both are being closely monitored as possible replacements ahead of this high-stakes tour.
