Mohammed Shami for India in Tests. Image Credits: AFPJust when Mohammed Shami’s international career seemed over, he made a remarkable comeback. While he’s still far from the national setup, Shami has left no stone unturned in making his presence felt through domestic performances.In the process, he’s also proved his fitness after looking off-rhythm for several months following ankle surgery in 2024. His last outing for India was in March 2025 in the Champions Trophy 2025 final.Mohammed Shami proves his mettle in red-ball cricketMohammed Shami’s last Test outing came in 2023, when India were defeated by Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval. Yet he’s continued to put on solid performances in the domestic arena. He has worked on his fitness and bowled long spells for his sides.In the Ranji Trophy 2025/26, Shami was the sixth-leading wicket-taker, with 37 wickets at 16.72 runs apiece in 13 innings. This included three five-wicket hauls. In the semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir, the pacer took eight wickets in the first innings to single-handedly keep his team in the contest.And now, Shami has continued his good form in the Duleep Trophy 2026. He grabbed seven wickets at an average of 26.57 in three matches. More importantly, he bowled multiple high-intensity spells in the final on a placid pitch in the Chennai heat.BCCI Domestic @BCCIdomestic An 8️⃣-wicket masterpiece 🫡 Watch 🎥 Mohd. Shami wreaks havoc with his career-best First Class figures of 8/90 🔥 Updates ▶️ Feb 17, 2026, 11:55 AM Across 16 overs, Mohammed Shami conceded only 2.60 runs per over while dismissing two big batters, Shaik Rasheed and Smaran Ravichandran. He showed how to control batters and pick wickets on Indian surfaces. Take Rasheed’s wicket, for instance.Also Read: Sourav Ganguly Reveals Truth Behind Mohammed Shami's 2027 World Cup TalksAfter taking the balls away, Shami reversed one into the batter from good length. Rasheed was hanging on the back foot, and the ball moved more than he expected on that pitch, trapping him in front of the wickets. Later, he seamed one away to induce Smaran’s outside edge just when the batter looked set for a big one.In between, Shami tried a bit of everything. He went wide of the crease to create an angle and then straightened the new ball against LHBs and bowled sharp bouncers with the second new ball early on Day 4. All this in the Chennai heat when few other pacers from either side barely looked threatening at any stage.Should Shami return for India Tests?Mohammed Shami's performances in TestsFirstly, Mohammed Shami is not the same force he once was. He can still give his best, bowl his heart out and run hard deep into multi-day games, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is 36 now. After undergoing major surgery a couple of years ago, Shami is bound to show some aftereffects, no matter how much work he puts into his fitness.However, his spells in the Duleep Trophy showed that there could still be a case for an India return, particularly for home Tests. He can operate in short bursts throughout an innings and provide valuable support to the spinners with his traditional approach.Shami showed that he still possesses the ability to take wickets on Indian pitches. He has always been a reliable option at home and was instrumental in India’s 12-year dominance in these conditions. He has 76 wickets at 22.10 runs apiece across 42 home Test innings, including two five-wicket hauls.A major reason for his success has been his relentless ability to hit the right lengths and attack the stumps. In India, lengths marginally shorter than a conventional good length can be particularly effective because of the low bounce, while straighter lines are important since edges are harder to come by. Shami’s skiddy lengths, combined with his upright seam position, allow the ball to land on the seam and zip through quickly and low.That keeps both LBWs and bowled dismissals firmly in play. Shami mastered this method by bowling long spells in domestic cricket. He can also hit the deck hard and reverse the old ball once the conventional swing diminishes, as he showed in the Duleep Trophy.All of that makes it difficult to ignore him, especially with India set to face a crucial home Border-Gavaskar Trophy next year. Their recent struggles in home conditions are well documented, and an experienced bowler with a proven skill set could significantly bolster their pace attack. When he is in rhythm, few bowlers are as capable as Shami, particularly on dry Indian pitches.The injury-prone pace options and spinning tracksAs India continue to progress through this transition phase, their pace-bowling options remain highly vulnerable. Most of their main pacers, including Akash Deep, Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah, have been injury-prone. Any of them can break down at any point, meaning India need reliable backups almost all the time.If Akash and Bumrah, in particular, are unavailable or require workload management, India won’t have many ready-made options for the BGT next year. They can always turn to domestic performers, but Australia will be better equipped to handle pace than most other touring sides.That could force India to prepare spin-friendly decks that turn from Day 1 again and make batting difficult for both teams. That has been their approach at home over the last couple of years, and it has backfired heavily.If India are to win the series, they will need to prepare better pitches that prevent Australian spinners from becoming an even greater factor. On such surfaces, Australia’s pace attack could also lose some of its advantage. Their pacers have spent much of the last couple of years bowling on fast, pace-friendly wickets at home and could struggle to adjust to the lengths required in India.BCCI Domestic @BCCIdomestic Brilliant reflexes 👌 Mohd. Shami pulls off a fantastic one-handed-catch off his own bowling to dismiss Harsh Dubey 🙌 #DuleepTrophy | #CZvEZ Scorecard ▶️ Sep 1, 2026, 12:25 PM That is where Shami could prove valuable. If Bumrah or Akash are unavailable, he could help hold together the pace department alongside Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, giving India the ability to pick regular wickets on pitches that don’t deteriorate early in the game. Even if he doesn’t play every match, Shami could feature in at least three Tests in the series and provide those high-intensity spells with the new and old balls.It’s simple, really. India need their spinners to outbowl their Australian counterparts, and that is only possible if they avoid preparing outright rank turners. To do that, they will need pace options capable of bowling tighter and longer spells than they have been required to on spinning wickets in recent times.Hence, Shami could be considered for the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy if he continues to excel in domestic cricket, including the 2026/27 Ranji Trophy. Sure, he is no longer the same bowler and is well past his prime. But perhaps he still has something to offer before bowing out for one final time.Also Read: Rahul Dravid Shockingly Snubs Virat Kohli For Imran Khan In Greatest Captain List
