V ETERAN pacer Mohammed Shami is still actively pushing for a chance in India’s Test team despite being overlooked for over three years. The 36-yearold’s performance in the Duleep Trophy should serve a reminder to the BCCI selectors that Shami is not done yet. In the light of injuries to the pace brigade including Jasprit Bumrah and failure of young bowlers to make a mark, Shami has made a real case for his comeback. The question is whether the BCCI still poses faith in the war-horse or has it already decided to move on? Shami’s last appearance for India in Test was in the final of the World Test Championship in 2023 against Australia. India were defeated in the game and Shami has since been out of favour in red-ball cricket. He was part of the Champions Trophy team in 2025 but has failed to make a comeback in the whiteball teams too. Now, with a successful domestic season under his belt and the resilience he displayed in the Duleep Trophy on batting-friendly pitches, Shami can hope for the door to creak open into the national team. The pacer is not growing any younger but he has adapted to the reality really well. He has opted for short bursts at regular intervals which make him a valuable option for the captain.

 

When all spotlight in the Duleep Trophy was on teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shami silently went about his job and attracted all attention. He took seven wickets at an average of 26.57 in three matches. But more importantly, he bowled high-intensity spells in the final in the Chennai heat. Across spells, Shami showed his knack of controlling batsmen and pick wickets on batting-friendly surfaces. When other pacers from either side hardly looked threatening in the game, Shami did this all in the infamous Southern heat. The Duleep Trophy show came after he finished sixth-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2025/26 season. With 37 wickets at 16.72 runs apiece in 13 innings, Shami single-handedly led his team’s charge till the semi-final. It is a passionate bid to remind the selectors about his presence. He has not only shown that his wares are still intact but also proved his fitness following ankle surgery in 2024. He has made a real case for another look for the forthcoming national assignments.What the selectors will have to look at is not the age factor but the utility of Shami’s art.

 

He possesses a relentless ability to hit the right lengths and attack the stumps. His skiddy lengths allows the ball to zip through and climb up from the good length spot often putting batsmen in difficult position. On the Indian surfaces, this can come extremely handy. If the pacer is used in short bursts, which many Indian captains tend to do on spinfriendly tracks, Shami can still pose a threat to visiting batsmen. With Australia coming here for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later in the season, the BCCI can ponder over the idea of having Shami in the pace scheme along with Mohammad Siraj and Prasidh Krishna if Bumrah is not available due to his injuryprone nature. The fighter that he is, Shami will definitely bring something special to the table.