Know Why Mohammed Shami Ruled Out of India’s Squad for England Tour

BCCI has announced India’s squad for the upcoming five-match Test Series against England. Announced by Ajit Agarkar on Saturday, 24 May, the Indian Squad will be led by Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant has been named as his deputy. In significant development around the squad, Mohammed Shami, the Veteran Fast Bowler, despite his hard practice session, has missed out on selection.

On naming Gill the next captain, Agarkar said that Gill has shown improvement and was considered for the leadership role. “We discussed every option that’s there, over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there’s been improvement. We’re hopeful he’s the guy. He’s a terrific player, our best wishes to him. You don’t pick captains for one tour or two tours. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it’s going to be as tough as it gets,” he said in the press conference.

Also Read | Shubman Gill appointed captain of Indian Test team ahead of England series

Why has Shami been dropped from the Squad?

Shami, who has been a regular across all formats, has been left out of the squad for the England tour by the Selectors. Speaking on his exclusion from the Test Squad, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar stated during a conference that Shami has not yet regained full fitness, and placing additional stress on him could increase the risk of further injuries. Recent MRI scans have revealed fresh injury concerns, which ultimately led to the decision to drop him from the squad. Taking his condition into account, the BCCI medical staff has declared him a misfit for the entire England Tour.

“He’s had a little bit of a setback over the past week, got some MRIs done. Wasn’t going to be able to play five Tests. Don’t think his workload is where he needs to be. Medical guys told he’ll be ruled out. We were hoping he’ll play some part, but if he’s not fit, we’d rather pick guys fit and available rather than waiting,” Agarkar said.

Also Read | India Squad for England Test Series 2025 Announced

India squad for England Test series:

Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav