Mohammed Shami not part of Team India's T20I plans, confirms BCCI selection committee member

Mohammed Shami remains one of India's finest pacers in the modern era. A regular in the Test and ODI line-up, Shami hasn't played a lot of T20Is prior to and even before the last year's World Cup, held in the UAE. Before represting India in the 2021 T20 WC, Shami's last appearance in the format came in December 2020.

Before the 2022 T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia, Shami has reportedly been informed by the BCCI selection committee that he isn't in consideration for T20Is. As per a report in Inside Sport, the selectors want to continue with Shami in Tests and ODIs, however, they want to try youngsters in the shortest format of the game.

“Shami isn’t getting any younger and we need him fresh for Tests. That is why he is not being considered for T20s. We have had a chat with him post-T20 World Cup on his workload management. This is how it is going to be now. For now, he is not in plans for T20s and the focus will be on youngsters,” a member of the selection committee told the portal.

ALSO READ | 'Saw the same with Gavaskar-Kapil, Ganguly-Sachin' - BCCI treasurer shares take on Kohli vs Rohit debate

Shami last played T20 cricket during IPL 2022, where he was part of the Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) camp. The 31-year-old returned with 20 wickets in 16 games, at an average of 18.30, and ended with sixth-most wickets overall. 

The Indian seamer has so far played just 17 T20Is in his international career since 2014. Shami's case is similar to that of opener Shikhar Dhawan, who has also been sidelined from Tests and T20Is but remains in the scheme of things in ODIs. The idea behind such a decision also has to do with the players' workload management.