In a significant development around Indian cricket, veteran pacer Mohammad Shami is unlikely to be included in the squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, starting June 20.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has raised concerns about Shami’s ability to bowl long spells.
This comes as a huge blow to India, who are looking to rebound from a challenging 2024-25 season that saw a 0-3 home series loss to New Zealand and a 3-1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
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Fitness Fears Likely to Rule Mohammad Shami Out of England Test Series
Mohammad Shami, known for his impeccable seam movement and ability to swing the ball both ways, has been plagued by an ankle injury sustained in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had to undergo a surgery and made his comeback to domestic cricket after almost a year. The speedster featured in an international match after almost 15 months.
He missed several key events, including the 2024 T20 World Cup and the recent Australia tour. For India, he recently played the Champions Trophy 2025 and took nine wickets in five innings. In the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025), he has been expensive, leaking runs at an economy of 11.23 while bagging just six scalps in nine innings.
Shami’s last Test appearance was in the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval.
The Indian Express reported that the BCCI’s medical team has advised that Shami might not be able to sustain the workload of bowling extended spells across five Test matches. With ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah also reportedly confirming that he might not be available for all the five Tests to manage his workload, the selection committee is hesitant to include another injury-prone bowler.
"Shami is bowling four overs in IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad but the board and selectors don’t know whether he can bowl more than 10 overs in a day. Test matches in England may demand longer spells from the pacers and we can’t take chances," a BCCI source said as quoted to The Indian Express.
Shami’s absence could pave the way for younger pacers to step up. The selection committee is reportedly considering left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who has county cricket experience with Kent, and Haryana’s Anshul Kamboj, who has 74 wickets in 22 first-class matches. Kamboj has already been picked for the India A squad touring England as the selectors intend to groom him for international cricket.
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India’s Squad for England Test Series to be Announced Soon
The India squad for the England Test series is expected to be announced on Saturday, alongside the naming of India’s new Test captain following Rohit Sharma’s retirement. The five-man selection committee is set to convene in the coming days to finalise these decisions.
According to The Indian Express, Shubman Gill has emerged as a leading candidate to take over the Test captaincy. Sources indicate that Gill recently met with head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar. Gill is likely to guide India in the WTC 2025-27 cycle.
