Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir’s role in ending Mohammed Shami’s India career finally revealed
Published - 09 Nov 2025, 11:31 AM
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Mohammed Shami is currently out of favor in India despite doing well for Bengal in the domestic circuit. Mohammed Shami was last seen in action for India during their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph in the UAE earlier this year.
Shami has not played a Test since the New Zealand series at home last year, and there is no clarity on whether the pacer would make a comeback after he was dropped for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa at home.
Now, new details have finally come to light about what really led to Shami’s continuous snub from the Indian cricket team. Indian captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and a series of behind-the-scenes events that changed everything for one of India’s finest fast bowlers.
The real reason behind Mohammed Shami’s ongoing snub from Team India revealed
As reported by a Revsportz journalist, Rohit Juglan, things started to sour during the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand last year. After the match, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed the media and spoke about Shami’s fitness, mentioning that the pacer was dealing with swelling in his knee.
This comment created confusion because, around the same time, Shami appeared at an event in Gurgaon and insisted he was completely fit. Even after the Bengaluru Test, Shami was seen bowling to Indian players and some support staff at the nets. Despite having a bandage on his leg, he pushed himself to prove that his body could still handle the workload.
However, the Indian cricket team management’s primary concern was his long-term recovery, as they wanted him fully fit before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. The journalist claimed that around that time, Shami was reportedly involved in several brand shoots and promotional commitments, which affected his rehabilitation process.
Mohammed Shami didn’t show full commitment during the recovery phase!!
The team doctors had given him a strict recovery plan, but his fitness didn’t improve as expected. Shami has not given his best during his recovery process, and at that time, the Indian team management had already made up their mind.
By the time the team reached Adelaide, the coaching staff and selectors reportedly felt that Shami had not taken his recovery seriously enough and hadn’t shown full commitment to regaining his fitness at the time when the side needed him the most.
A clear deadline had been set for the Indian pacer to prove his fitness, but he failed to meet it. And at that time, the team management made it clear that Shami’s place in the squad would no longer be guaranteed. Although everyone knew that Jasprit Bumrah would face a heavy workload if he played five tests, the team decided not to recall Shami for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
How Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir’s decisions ended Mohammed Shami’s Test career
Rohit Sharma’s handling of the situation also played a major part. After the Bengaluru episode, communication between the two reportedly became limited. And then, Gautam Gambhir, known for his straightforward approach as a coach, was firm about maintaining discipline and fitness standards. So, the team management decided to move on from Shami.
Another aspect that reportedly worked against Shami was his tendency to speak openly about internal matters. The team has a strong culture against players discussing internal decisions publicly, and this attitude didn’t sit well with the selectors and the team management.
Even recently, Shami gave a contrary statement to chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and he was yet again ignored for Test selection.
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Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more
