Why was Mohammed Shami not considered for Afghanistan Test? Chief selector Ajit Agarkar reveals

NEW DELHI: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday said there were no discussions around Mohammed Shami’s return to Test cricket, adding that the pacer is currently only "ready for T20 cricket" despite playing an entire domestic season.

The comments came after the BCCI announced India’s squads for the one-off Test and three-match ODI series against Afghanistan men's cricket team, scheduled to be played in India in June. Shami was not included in either squad.




"No (discussions on Shami's Test return). As far as we have been told that at this point ... his body is allowing him to (play), I know he has played a domestic season this year. But from the information that I have got, is that at this point it's T20 cricket that he's sort of ready for. So there was no discussion regarding him," Agarkar said while talking to reporters.

The 35-year-old has been out of the national setup for more than a year despite returning to competitive cricket and enjoying a productive domestic season with Bengal, where he took 67 wickets.

Shami last played for India during their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. His most recent ODI appearance came against New Zealand in the CT final in Dubai, which India won.

His last Test appearance for India came against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval in 2023. In T20Is, his last game for India was against England in Mumbai earlier in 2025.

In the Ranji Trophy semi-final in February, Shami returned figures of 9 for 114 against Jammu & Kashmir despite Bengal ending up on the losing side.

In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, Shami began well but could not maintain consistency. He has taken 10 wickets in 12 matches so far.

Meanwhile, India’s Test squad for the Afghanistan match will be led by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul replacing Rishabh Pant as vice-captain. Senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been rested for the Test, while Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey earned places in the squad.

India's Test squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel.

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