Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has voiced his support for Mohammed Shami’s selection for the upcoming five-match test series against England despite his poor form in the ongoing IPL 2025 season.

Shami has been struggling with a declining form in the IPL 2025 and hasn’t played test cricket for 23 months, with his last appearance in the World Test Championship 2023 against Australia.

He returned to international cricket earlier this year in January after a 14-month injury gap. The speedster has been out of form in the T20 carnival, raising doubts on his test cricket.

“Let me tell you about Shami — a lot of people might be thinking, ‘No, he’s expensive with the white ball,’ but that’s wrong. When the red ball comes into play, the seam protrudes — it’s almost upright, and it stays that way.”

“When the seam hits, Shami makes it nip off the surface by about six inches, and that movement causes more trouble than the one that swings in the air. That’s why, as a red-ball bowler, he is a match-winner — out and out,” said Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Mohammed Shami has played 14 tests in England and picked 42 wickets at an average of 40.50 with a best figures of 4/57 in an innings. In his absence, during the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah took over the charge picking 32 wickets from 10 innings but went in vain due to lack of support from team mates.

Mohammed Shami’s presence will be crucial in England to provide the much-needed support to Bumrah and end India’s 18-year drought for a series win on England soil.

Both India and England are set to begin a new cycle of WTC and are yet to announce their squad.

The five match test series will begin in the month of June and will be played till the first week of August. The first match of the series will be played between June 20 and 24 at Headingley.