Veteran outcast pacer Mohammed Shami registered a sensational hat-trick yesterday while playing for Servotech Siliguri Strikers in the Bengal T20 League at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. Shami’s wrath was felt by Shrachi Rarh Tigers in what was just the 3rd match of the tournament.

Mohammed Shami has registered 12 wickets in the same number of matches for LSG this season, with the franchise languishing at the bottom of the table and playing for pride in their remaining IPL 2026 games. While many thought that Shami’s underperformance in the tournament was a major reason behind his exclusion, Ajit Agarkar gave a different perspective altogether.

During the squad announcement, when asked to shed light on Shami’s case, Ajit Agarkar said that based on the information he has received from unanimous people, the UP-born pacer is not fit enough to feature in the longer formats and that his body can only manage to bear the shortest format. Agarkar also spoke about Mohammed Shami’s active participation in the 2025-26 domestic season, in which he played almost every game for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, but as of now, the veteran’s return seems a distant thought.

“As far as we have been told at this point, his body is allowing him to play. I know he has played a domestic season this year, but from the information that I have got, it's that at this point, it’s T20 cricket that he’s sort of ready for. So there was no discussion regarding him,” – Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement.

Mohammed Shami’s last appearance for India came in the finale of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand in Dubai. Since then, the 35-year-old has only featured for Bengal in the domestic circuit. Shami has 229 (Test), 206 (ODI), and 27 (T20I) wickets to his name since making his debut for India back in 2013.

India’s squad for the one-off Test and ODI series against Afghanistan
For the one-off Test: Shubman Gill (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-capt), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel
For the 3-match ODI series: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey