Ravi Shastri Backs Mohammed Shami To Make International Comeback With Blunt Message For BCCI Selectors

India recently announced the squads for the ODI and Test series against New Zealand and, once again, Mohammed Shami was ignored. The 36-year-old pacer is raring to make a comeback to the national side, but he has failed to find a spot for himself since the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March. Shami missed the action initially due to injury, but he has been unable to return to the national team even after recovering and performing consistently at the domestic level and in IPL 2026.

Ahead of the New Zealand tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors named Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the T20I squad, and that gave an indication that the management is looking towards experience. Once again, Shami came into focus with the ODI and Test squads set to be announced. However, when the teams were named, Shami had to face disappointment again.

Former India captain Ravi Shastri welcomed the inclusion of Bhuvneshwar, another 36-year-old fast bowler who has been performing brilliantly in the IPL, and also pointed out that Shami has already done enough to be recalled to the ODI and Test squads.

"There is no substitute for experience. When you have a bowler of Bhuvneshwar's quality and experience, it's a no-brainer. With the form he showed in the IPL and his years with India, he'll be ideal for New Zealand conditions," Shastri told Times of India.

"(Shami) He has done enough with both red and white balls to be recalled to the Test and ODI sides," he added.

For the Test matches against New Zealand, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj are back in the Indian team. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna make it a pool of five fast bowlers for India. Meanwhile, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi are the players who have been dropped from the squad that featured in India's most recent Test against Sri Lanka.

In India's ODI squad for the first three matches against New Zealand, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna (subject to fitness) and Arshdeep Singh have been selected. Meanwhile, pacers Auqib Nabi and Yash Thakur will feature in the squad for the final two ODIs, replacing Krishna and Kamboj.

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