The Indian team for the ODI series against New Zealand has been announced. Once again, Mohammed Shami has been left out of the Indian team, which has led to former cricketers speaking out. Former Indian legend Irfan Pathan has given his opinion on Shami’s omission from the team and believes that Shami’s hopes of returning to the team are not over yet.
Irfan Pathan said this about Mohammed Shami
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan said, “Mohammed Shami is being talked about the most. What does his future hold? He’s not someone who comes in tomorrow, plays a few matches, and leaves. He has taken 450-500 international wickets, which is a huge number. If you’ve taken more than 400 wickets and then you’re dropped and your fitness is questioned, that happens to everyone. As long as you play cricket, you have to keep proving yourself.”
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The former Indian bowler continued, “But Shami has already bowled 200 overs. If it’s a matter of fitness, he’s already on track. What further improvements are needed? Only the selection committee knows what they’re thinking. If I were him, I’d go to the IPL and make a splash. I’d take the new ball and perform at that level.”
Irfan further said, “Domestic cricket is all about performance, but when IPL comes and you show your old rhythm and fitness, no one can ignore you, the whole world watches IPL. If you perform there, you regain your place in the squad. I believe that the doors should not be closed for them.”
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Ruturaj Gaekwad not getting a place in the squad even after scoring a 💯 is mind-boggling. It also shows that competition in Indian cricket is on a completely different level. Devdutt Padikkal averages 83 in List A cricket, yet he is nowhere near the ODI squad.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 3, 2026
Indian squad for the ODI series against New Zealand:
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain; subject to fitness clearance), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal