Follow UsJasprit Bumrah shouldered India’s bowling burden almost entirely on his own during the five-Test series in Australia. With little meaningful support from the rest of the pace attack, he bowled tirelessly until his back gave up, sidelining him for three months. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, and Akash Deep lacked the required quality, and India succumbed to a 3-1 defeat.
Much of the post-series narrative centred around the absence of Mohammed Shami. Many believed his presence would have helped Bumrah and could have even changed the outcome of the series. It’s a tempting thought—but it doesn’t quite hold up under scrutiny. His form in Test cricket and recent fitness issues clearly show his presence probably wouldn’t have made a massive difference.
India are scheduled to play a five-match Test series in England, starting from June 20, which will also kickstart the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle for India. With Rohit Sharma having announced his retirement from Test cricket, India are set to step into a new era. The squad will be announced in a few days, but is Shami an automatic pick for the series?
The 34-year-old, who last played a Test in June 2023, was out of action for more than a year due to ankle and knee injuries. He didn’t play a single game for India across all three formats in 2024 before making his return through a T20I in January this year. It’s been four months, but Shami is still struggling to find his rhythm, as evident in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
Let’s cut him some slack, as returning from a long-term injury is never easy for a sportsperson, but his form before the injury wasn’t great either. From 2015 to 2019, Shami claimed 134 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 23.8 and a strike rate of 45.7, but his form began dipping from 2020.
In 2020, Shami played two Tests in New Zealand and one in Australia, managing just five wickets across those three matches at an average of 44.8. The right-armer did bounce back in 2021, taking 23 wickets at 22.5 in five Tests, but things went downhill thereafter. Even in 2021, he averaged 38.3 against Nos.1-4 batters, compared to 14.1 vs No.5 and lower.
He featured in nine Tests in 2022 and 2023, picking up 26 wickets at a mediocre average of 33.2 and a strike rate of 58.3. Those numbers are well below par for someone expected to be India’s second-premier paceman. During this period, Bumrah averaged 19.8 in six Tests.
Shami was on absolute fire in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, finishing the competition as the leading wicket-taker, maintaining an incredible average of 10.70. He looked in great rhythm during the tournament, and it felt like he could bring that form into red-ball cricket. However, that’s when he got injured and remained out of action for more than a year.
In fact, Shami didn’t play a single game in the last WTC cycle. India played 19 games in this period, winning nine, losing eight, and drawing two. They managed just one win in their last eight Tests and failed to qualify for the final of the previous WTC cycle. Bumrah’s lack of support played a big role in that.
While Bumrah scalped 77 wickets at an unbelievable average of 15.1 in the last WTC cycle, the other Indian seamers failed to step up—especially someone like Siraj. There was talk that Shami could have made a difference, but that would be the 2015–19 version of Shami, not the one post-2020.
The fast bowler made his much-awaited return for India through a T20I against England in January, as India were desperate to get him into the Champions Trophy 2025 squad after Bumrah was ruled out. Before returning to international cricket, he played nine T20s, three List A games, and one first-class match for Bengal.
India wasted no time and drafted him into the Champions Trophy squad, where he took nine wickets in five ODIs at an average of 25.9 and an economy rate of 5.7. Five of those wickets came against Bangladesh, while in the remaining four games, Shami managed just four wickets at an average of 45. He looked far from his best, but it didn’t raise many concerns, given he was making a return from a serious injury, and India won the trophy.
Then came the IPL 2025, where Shami has taken only six wickets in nine games at an average of 56.2 and an economy rate of 11.2. The 34-year-old has arguably been the worst bowler in the competition. Apart from looking completely out of rhythm, he still doesn’t appear fully fit, raising doubts over his selection for the England tour.
"As of now, Shami isn't an automatic pick. It's been months since he came back to international cricket, but he has barely been in rhythm. While IPL performances are not usually considered while picking India teams, Shami is struggling to finish his run-up,” BCCI sources told the Times of India, hinting that Shami may not be a guaranteed selection for the five-match series.
“The ball is not carrying to the wicketkeeper like it used to before his Achilles tendon injury after the 2023 ODI World Cup. He invariably goes back to the dressing room after a short spell for recovery.”
Therefore, the pressure will once again be on Bumrah, who himself will be under watch considering his history with back injuries. "The initial plan was to ensure the team could play either Shami or Bumrah in every Test. However, if Bumrah is rested for a match and Shami struggles to pull through, it will be a big issue. They are trying to understand the problem Shami is facing.”
One more factor that doesn’t work in Shami’s favour is his poor record in England—42 wickets in 15 Tests at an average of 40.5, his worst in any country. Coincidentally, his last Test appearance was also in England—the 2023 WTC final against Australia, where he took four wickets at 40.3. It was he who leaked runs at an economy of 4.2 in the first innings, putting India in a position from which they couldn’t bounce back.
Despite all these factors, it remains highly improbable that Shami will be excluded from India's squad for the England tour. The IPL 2025 is scheduled to resume on May 17, with the final on June 3. Shami's team, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has already been eliminated from playoff contention, giving him an opportunity to travel to England before the five-match series and play a couple of red-ball games for India A.
India A are slated to play two four-day games against the England Lions (May 30–June 2 and June 6–9) and one against the senior Indian squad (June 13–16) before the main series. The Indian team management should ensure that Shami travels with the first batch of India A players to gain ample game time ahead of the England series—even if it means missing SRH’s remaining inconsequential matches.
Shami’s legacy as a match-winner is unquestionable, but his past brilliance can’t outweigh his current form. If he is to play a role in England, he must prove his fitness and form in the ‘A’ series. India can’t afford another away series where Bumrah fights alone.