What were the main reasons behind Mohammed Shami's exclusion from the Indian squad for recent series?

Mohammed Shami's exclusion has been attributed to concerns about his fitness, as mentioned by the selection committee. Additionally, despite strong domestic performances, the team management appears to have moved on to younger bowling options.

Why did India struggle with their bowling attack against the West Indies?

India struggled due to an inexperienced bowling unit, with key players missing and poor performances resulting in the opposition chasing large totals easily. Factors like poor execution in crucial overs also contributed to their difficulties.

How might the Indian bowling lineup change before the 2027 ODI World Cup?

Given the recent performances, Indian captain Shubman Gill emphasized the need to finalize a preferred bowling combination due to limited time for experimentation, suggesting that players currently underperforming may be excluded from future matches leading to the World Cup.

‘No point in going back’: Ex-India batter doesn't want Mohammed Shami to be looked at for 2027 ODI World Cup

Dinesh Karthik made it clear that India shouldn't go back to Mohammed Shami for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Published on: Oct 5, 2026, 06:01:00 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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India might have won the three-match ODI series against the West Indies 2-1, but the recent games exposed the Indian attack, and none of the bowlers, barring Kuldeep Yadav, gave a good account of themselves. A Jasprit Bumrah-less attack conceded runs at will in all three matches, and the final ODI of the series saw the West Indies chase down a daunting target of 352 with 10 balls to spare, thanks to Shai Hope's unbeaten century.

Mohammed Shami last played for India in the Champions Trophy. (PTI)

Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj were tried out in the series, but none of them was able to step up with the ball, and the bowling emerged as a real headache ahead of the World Cup next year in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. With the recent lacklustre performance, there has been clamour to bring Mohammed Shami back into the mix for next year's World Cup.

Also Read: Left in the dark: Mohammed Siraj’s baffling treatment raises alarming questions over India’s World Cup planning

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Shami last played for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy and has since been ignored despite strong performances in domestic cricket for Bengal. However, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik doesn't think it would be the right call to go back to the experienced campaigner, as the management has moved past him.

“No. I feel there are other pacers, India have moved beyond him so there's point in going back. I wouldn't be looking at him even though he's bowled really well,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz's latest video titled ‘Hot Takes’.

The Shami conundrum

Last year, there was a public back-and-forth between Shami and the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar. After the speedster was ignored for the West Indies Tests, Agarkar had cited Shami's fitness as the major reason behind keeping him out of the lineup.

However, Shami addressed the media days later, saying that if he hadn't been fit, he wouldn't have been playing the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. He also said that it wasn't his job to hand over the fitness certificate to the selection committee.

Ever since then, no one has come out publicly to explain why Shami was repeatedly ignored despite delivering strong performances in several domestic tournaments. Shami recently played his 100th first-class match, representing the East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against the South Zone.

India's next big assignment is the multi-format series against New Zealand, where the team will play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. With Agarkar no longer the chief selector, it would be interesting to see if the experienced speedster is brought back into the squad for the ODIs and Tests.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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