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End of the road for Mohammed Shami in ODIs? Australia tour snub paints haunting picture

Soumyajit Dutta

Mohammed Shami's ODI future uncertain [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X.com]Mohammed Shami's ODI future uncertain [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL/X.com]

BCCI's latest squad of India for the Australia ODI series confirms what has been increasingly apparent. The international career of Mohammed Shami, one of India’s most prolific fast bowlers, has reached its quiet, unceremonious end. 

In the cold, forward-looking calculus of professional sport, the veteran pacer, who debuted in the format back in 2013, has been deemed a relic of a past cycle, his name conspicuously absent as the team pivots decisively towards the 2027 World Cup.

Shami's exclusion was not unexpected

This omission is particularly telling. The upcoming IND vs AUS series is India's first 50-over assignment since their Champions Trophy triumph, a tournament where Mohammed Shami, freshly returned from a year-long injury layoff, was a fixture in the playing XI. Yet, that successful comeback now seems less a resurgence and more a final flourish.

The writing has been on the wall for some time. A lacklustre IPL of only 6 wickets from 9 matches was followed by exclusion from the Test squad against England. He was overlooked for the Asia Cup and the subsequent tour of the West Indies. The ODI format, once his safest harbour, has now closed its doors. 

The numbers since his return tell a story of diminishing returns 11 wickets in 7 ODI matches at an average of 30.63. Respectable, but not compelling enough for a management team fixated on the future.

India moves past Shami's presence

In Shami’s place, the mantle has been passed. Mohammed Siraj is now the undisputed leader of the attack, supported by a new generation of quicks like Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh. The selection of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy further underscores a youth-centric strategy. 

At 35, and with a body that has endured the rigours of nearly a decade at the top, the 145km/h quick no longer fits this long-term blueprint. By the time the caravan rolls into South Africa in 2027, he will be 37, an age the current establishment clearly views as incompatible with their ambitions.

For now, the warrior from Bengal plugs away in the domestic circuits, a testament to a fading hope. But in the grand theatre of Indian cricket, the spotlight has moved on, leaving Mohammed Shami in a shadow from which there may be no return.