Out-of-favour India fast bowler Mohammed Shami would have hoped to make a comeback in the Indian team on the back of a stellar Ranji Trophy campaign, where he picked up 37 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 16.72, and finished as the sixth highest wicket-taker of the season. Having picked up 10 wickets in 12 IPL 2026 matches for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he might not have done a world of good to his chances, with the Ajit Agarkar-led five-member selection committee expected to meet soon to pick the squad for the one-off Test match to be played against Afghanistan, scheduled to start on June 6, 2026, in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. Former India pacer Praveen Kumar and former India World Cup-winner Madan Lal called for more transparency in Shami's case, and reckoned that a lot depends on his fitness to play the longer format.
Although the IPL is a T20 tournament, picking up wickets there would have kept Mohammed Shami firmly in the spotlight and strengthened his case for an India comeback, despite the upcoming assignment being a Test against Afghanistan.
Praveen Kumar on Mohammed Shami's India comeback
"It should be discussed with the player. Should be discussed with Shami and ask him how his body is responding. It should be discussed with him. Transparency should be there," Praveen Kumar to Sports Now, when asked about the LSG pacer's India comeback.
Madan Lal, however, reckons that his selection not only depends on his fitness but also on whether he can be effective in the longest format of the game, having been out of the team for more than a year.
"He is another good bowler. His selection depends on a few factors. Like how fit is he and whether he can be effective or not. He has bowled a lot of overs in the Ranji Trophy, and there is nothing like that," Madan Lal said.
Having been a selector himself, when asked what his message would be to Agarkar, he told Sports Now, "I can't suggest anything to Ajit Agarkar. It is his job. He is getting paid for it. So he has to think about it."
Agarkar, in one of his earlier press conferences ahead of the England tour last year, had told the reporters, “If he was fit, he would’ve been on the plane. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. Our domestic season has only just begun, so we’ll see how things develop.”
Shami's last Test match forIndiawas against Australia in the World Test Championship final at the Oval in 2023, while his last ODI outing was against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final in Dubai, which India eventually won. His last T20I for India came against England in Mumbai in 2025. Shami returned with impressive match figures of 9 for 114 against Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in February, but in a losing cause. Shami's IPL team, Lucknow Super Giants are currently languishing at the bottom of the table and are out of the play-offs race.
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