India seamer Mohammad Shami, who did not find a place in the T20I or ODI squad for the Men in Blue's upcoming Australia tour, said that he is ready to play for the country but getting selected wasn't in his hands. He stressed that there wasn't any issues with his fitness, adding that he'll be ready if and when he is called up again. "Whether I get selected or not is not in my hands. The decision of selection is taken by the selection committee, the captain and the coach. If they want to select or give more time, it's in their hands. But I am ready. My practice is going well, my fitness is going well. I'll try to do much better because the more time you spend away from the ground, you need to be motivated more. You have to do more hard work. Like I just came from playing a Duleep Trophy match recently. I was pretty comfortable as well as happy rhythm-wise and I bowled around 35 overs. So, no fitness issue, I am ready to play but when it comes to getting selected, it's not in my hands," he said in his YouTube channel. Shami’s exclusion isn’t surprising, given that he hasn’t featured in the selectors’ plan across all formats in recent times. The Bengal pacer last played for India in the Champions Trophy 2025 final vs New Zealand in March and took 1 wicket. He started the tournament with a bang, snapping up 5 wickets against Bangladesh but went wicketless in the subsequent matches against Pakistan and New Zealand. He roared back into form with a 3-wicket haul against Australia in the semifinal before taking another wicket vs new Zealand in the final. Since then, he hasn't represented India in any format with his last T20I match coming in at February 2025 vs England and his last Test match coming against Australia in June 2023. Meanwhile, Shami was named in the Bengal Ranji Trophy squad on Wednesday. Consistent top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead the side in 2025-26 season, beginning on October 15, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) announced. Talented wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel has been named vice-captain, while the pace department will receive a major boost with the inclusion of India fast bowling duo of Shami and Akash Deep.
