Image Credit: India Today
The squad for the New Zealand tour has been announced, and Mohammed Shami has been dropped once again from the Indian side. To be honest, it is quite frustrating as a cricket fan to see that our premium fast bowler is not getting selected only due to the issue of age. Mind you, our current bowling attack is getting slaughtered against every country. Be it Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England or the West Indies, the pacers have gone for runs all across the world. On the other hand, Shami has been constantly performing in the domestic tournaments.
The fitness of Japrit Bumrah has been a matter of concern. Moreover, Siraj too is not a regular in the Indian white-ball setup. With the World Cup just a year away, the bowling department looks vulnerable, and our hopes of winning a World Cup are bleak. It is pertinent to note that the 2027 World Cup would be played in South Africa, which offers pace and bounce to the fast bowlers. In such a condition it is important that we take our premium pace attack for the marquee event. On the other hand, we are taking the weakest bowling line-up we have seen for a while.
Mohammed Shami is one of the finest fast bowlers India has ever produced. Moreover, in the ICC events he gets even more lethal. Who can forget his hatred against Afghanistan in Southampton? The match was nearly gone, but Shami turned it all around with 3 back-to-back wickets in the final over of the game and won it for his side. Mind you, Shami only played 4 games in the 2019 World Cup and was the second-highest wicketkeeper for the Indians with 14 wickets under his belt.
The 2023 edition got even bigger and better, wherein he picked up a staggering 24 wickets in just 7 games. The semi-final at Wankhede was the peak of Shami, wherein he picked up 7 wickets and took India to another World Cup final. Unfortunately, everything went down the line since then. In the finals at Ahmedabad, Shami got a wicket in his very first ball but failed to dismiss any other player post that. The Aussies chased down the target of 241, and the World Cup dream was shattered.
Furthermore, the injury woes kept him out for nearly a year, and when he returned, he was not the one who we saw in the 2023 World Cup. But, still in the 2025 Champions Trophy, he delivered a strong performance wherein he was the second leading wicket taker of the tournament. Unfortunately, since the 2025 Champions Trophy final, Shami has not played for India and has been constantly dropped from the squad for the stupidest of reasons. The man who is bowling constantly well and picking up wickets in the Domestics is getting snubbed on the issue of age.
The recent New Zealand squad announcement has made it clear that Shami is no longer in contention for the 2027 World Cup. But the bigger question is, if not Shami, who is going to be the star of our pace attack? The selectors better find this answer quickly, or else 2027 could become another 2007 disaster. After all batsmen win your game, but its the bowlers who will win you tournaments.
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