New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS) The omission of senior pacer Mohammed Shami from India’s Test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa has raised eyebrows, especially after his impressive showing in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, where he claimed 15 wickets in three matches for Bengal.

Shami, a mainstay in India’s pace attack over the past decade, has not played for India after the 2025 Champions Trophy win, and his continued absence from the national set-up has led to questions about whether the team is indeed moving on from him.

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who retired from professional cricket earlier this year, has urged the selectors and team management to initiate an honest conversation with Shami in terms of his international career.

“Well, I am not the one to answer whether it’s the end of the road. But see, someone like Mohammed Shami should be having – I mean, the selectors and the team management should have a very honest conversation with him. What’s the plan going forward? Whether they want to pick him or whether they are looking at the young players.

“If he is being informed that they are not looking at him, then it is always Shami’s personal call whether he wants to carry on playing first-class cricket, whether he still wants to – I mean, he is part of the IPL as well. So, he would want to carry on playing cricket.

“But it’s always a personal call whether he wants to retire from international cricket or he just wants to try his luck, continue playing domestic cricket,” Pujara told reporters during a media day ahead of the first India-South Africa Test starting in Kolkata on Friday.

In the two games Bengal played at the Eden Gardens, Shami was amongst the wicket-takers, including picking a five-wicket haul against Gujarat.

“If there is an opportunity given to him, if there are any injuries, then he should be available for that selection. But whether the team management and the selectors, whether they are looking at him or not, that is the communication which should be happening with Mohammed Shami. He should have a clear road ahead.

“He should have that clarity of what the selectors and the team management are looking at and what is expected out of him. If he is not going to get picked, then as a player, he will also take a call on what he wants to do, whether he wants to carry on playing IPL for a longer time, whether he wants to work on that, whether he wants to still enjoy playing cricket by playing Ranji Trophy, playing with his friends and domestic players – that is his personal call.

“But the communication from the team management has to be very, very clear and it should be very honest conversation and Shami should be part of it,” added Pujara.

Asked about Shami’s non-selection, India skipper Shubman Gill said in his pre-match press conference that the selectors can answer this query better. “There are not many bowlers of his quality. You cannot ignore the performances of the current bowlers like Akash (Deep) and Prasidh (Krishna).”

“Sometimes it’s difficult for players like Shami bhai to miss out. It’s never easy when someone like Shami bhai has to miss out, but at the same time, we have to plan ahead,” he said.

Following the two-match Test series, India and South Africa will engage in a three-game ODI series, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli being the centre of attention there. In the ODIs against Australia last month, Rohit took the Player of the Series award, scoring one fifty and a century. Kohli, meanwhile, hit 74 in Sydney after bagging consecutive ducks.

With the duo eyeing spots in 2027 ODI World Cup, Pujara felt each and every game in the build-up to the mega event is crucial for Rohit and Kohli. “For both of them, I think each and every series will be very important because when you are just playing one format, it is important for a player to be in touch with the game.”

“They will be playing after a bit of a break, which makes it little more challenging because having that experience of playing just one format, I can talk from my experience that when you play international cricket after a long time, you are trying to find the rhythm. When it comes to white ball cricket, it’s slightly easier.

“But at the same time, because of the age, they have to work hard, and which they have been doing. We have seen the results – recently that they have scored runs. We are hopeful that they will carry on playing till the 2027 World Cup. But it will be their personal call. I don’t think we should be looking that far ahead.

“It is also depending on how their body is responding and how they are enjoying just playing one format of the game. If they are enjoying it and carrying on, and if they are having a good form, then we will see what happens going forward. But as of now, I think each and every series becomes very important because for them, one is to perform, to score runs, to maintain that rhythm, and to sustain that form is very important. That’s why I believe that each and every series, each and every match, becomes very important for them.”

Catch all the action from the First Test of South Africa’s tour of India 2025, from November 14, 9:30 AM IST onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network

–IANS

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