Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian cricket captain, addressed recent speculations regarding pacer Mohammed Shami’s status with the national team. On Thursday, Ganguly refuted claims that Shami is being overlooked by selectors, emphasizing that the 36-year-old has had a significant career and remains an ‘absolute champion’.
Shami has not featured in the national squad since the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he was instrumental in India’s title victory. Despite his absence from international play, he has continued to showcase his skills in domestic competitions, recently contributing to East Zone’s triumph in the Duleep Trophy, which they won after a 13-year gap.
Asked about Shami’s chances of making a comeback for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Ganguly said it was too early to make a prediction. Ganguly also pushed back when asked about Shami being neglected by the senior men’s selection panel, drawing a parallel with his own experience of being left out of India’s World Cup plans despite having scored more than 10,000 international runs. When I got left out from World Cup one-day cricket for a year, after scoring 10,000 runs, I found my way to come back. Kishan last played Test cricket for India against the West Indies in July 2023.
“He is not being neglected. He has played a lot. He is an absolute champion. But as you grow older, this happens. So this happens with everyone. Talking to reporters at the Eden Gardens, the CAB president further congratulated the East Zone side for winning the Duleep Trophy after a long wait. “I spoke to Kishan this afternoon. It’s terrific and remarkable. Every young player wants to play Test cricket, and hopefully he will. He played exceptionally well in all the finals of the Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq Ali, and Duleep Trophy. “If he performs, I think for every young player Test cricket should be important. They must want to play Test cricket and hopefully he will. He gets runs in big matches…. Vijay Hazare final, Mushtaq final, Duleep Trophy final.
