Mohammed Shami’s Bengal T20 hat-trick revives the debate about India’s comeback
Veteran Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami gave a timely reminder of his quality by claiming a hat-trick in the Bengal T20 League to help Siliguri Strikers record a dominant win over Rarh Tigers. The impressive spell comes at a time when the 35-year-old has increasingly found himself on the fringes of India’s plans across formats.
Shami’s performance has once again sparked debate over his international future, especially after being overlooked for recent India assignments despite an encouraging domestic season.
The veteran pacer struck the decisive blow in the Bengal T20 League match when he dismissed Shahbaz Ahmed in the 16th over before removing Rohit Kumar and Dipanjan Mukherjee off consecutive deliveries to complete a memorable hat-trick. Shami finished with figures of 4/27 from his four overs and played a key role in Siliguri Strikers’ victory. Shami last played for India during Champions Trophy 2025 (Photo Reuters)
His latest exploits come just weeks after he was dropped from the Indian squad for the ongoing Afghanistan series. This omission followed another insult earlier in the year when he failed to make the Indian ODI squad for the New Zealand series despite strong performances in domestic cricket.
“No (discussion of Shami’s Test return). If we are told that at the moment…his body allows him (to play), I know he has played a domestic season this year,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement.
“But the information I have is that at the moment it’s T20 cricket that he’s kind of ready for. So there was no discussion about him,” Agarkar added.
THE INDIA SNUB CONTINUES
The comments offered an insight into the thinking of the selectors, suggests that concerns about Shami’s workload and long-term fitness continue to influence selection decisions. While the fast bowler has returned to competitive cricket and has shown flashes of his old brilliance, the Indian management seems cautious about reinstating him in the Test and ODI set-ups.
Shami last represented India in the Champions Trophy final in March 2025 and has since disappeared from the national team’s ODI and Test schedules. While he enjoyed a productive domestic campaign, it wasn’t enough to get him back into contention.
The Bengal pacer took 47 wickets in 16 domestic matches during the season, including 20 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, 16 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and 11 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. These performances strengthened the case for a national recall, but the selectors continued to look elsewhere.
SRH swapped Shami for LSG in IPL 26. Shami slapped the SRH management with his performance
Destroyed SRH launch unit. Belt treatment from Mohammad Shami to SRH. pic.twitter.com/b7NXWVxfa2— VIKAS (@Vikas662005) April 5, 2026
His IPL campaign also failed to significantly change the perception of his future. Shami picked up 12 wickets during the season but his returns averaged 38.25 as Lucknow Super Giants endured a disappointing campaign to finish bottom of the table.
At the age of 35, Shami’s situation is linked to India’s ongoing transition in the pace-bowling department. With the 2027 ODI World Cup and future Test cycles in mind, the selectors seem intent on building a younger fast-bowling group capable of serving the team across formats for many years to come.
Still, performances like his Bengal T20 League hat-trick ensure the conversation around Shami refuses to go away. While the selectors may be planning for the future, the veteran continues to show that he still has the ability to impact matches and remind everyone why he remains one of India’s best bowlers of the modern era.
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Published on:
08 Jun 2026 15:30 IST