Explained: Why Mohammed Shami isn't part of India's test squad for 2025 England

Mohammed Shami last played for India in tests during the ICC World Test Championship final in 2023.

On Saturday (24th May), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for the test tour of England. The two teams will be facing each other in the five-match series, starting 20th June at the Headingley in Leeds. 

The Indian team for the test series against England will be captained by Shubman Gill, who replaced Rohit Sharma in the role following his retirement. The 18-member squad seemed pretty balanced, but there were a few notable omissions as well, with the big one being experienced campaigner Mohammed Shami. 

Mohammed Shami, who is part of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, was expected to make it into the squad, especially with the kind of impact that he has made in the longest format of the game. But his fitness didn’t work in his favour and saw him getting axed from the team. 

I don’t think he is fit enough to play five Tests at the moment – Ajit Agarkar on Mohammed Shami

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who addressed the press conference while announcing the squad, revealed that the fast bowler isn’t fit enough to play five games. He added that the medical team ruled him out of the series, but they are expecting him to play some part in the series. 

“Yes, we have sort of been in communication with him. He has been trying to get fit for the Test series. I don’t think he is fit enough to play five Tests at the moment. I don’t think his fitness is where it needs to be. It’s just the medical guys who have told us that he has been ruled out of the series.” 

“Unfortunately. We were hoping that he would be available for us at some part of the series. If he is not fit at the moment, it’s difficult playing the waiting game. We thought we would rather plan with the guys who are available. We wanted to try and pick him. But, at the moment, he is not fit,” said Ajit Agarkar. 

For unversed, Mohammed Shami faced an ankle injury during the ICC World Cup 2023 and, after that, was ruled out of cricketing action for more than one year. He made a comeback in the recent white-ball series against England ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

However, since his comeback, he hasn’t been the same as he used to be. The fast bowler has been struggling with his fitness, which has been evident in the ongoing IPL 2025, where he has failed to make a big impact.

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