Table of Contents
Legendary Indian cricketer and current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly has come out strongly in support of Mohammed Shami amid questions over the veteran pacer’s absence from the India national cricket team.
The former India captain believes that Shami is not being ignored and pointed out that the fast bowler has already achieved a lot in his long career. Shami has not played for India since the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he played an important part in India’s title-winning campaign.
However, the 36-year-old bowler has continued playing domestic cricket and helped East Zone win the Duleep Trophy on September 10, ending their 13-year wait for the title. Amid this, Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on government takeover of Eden Gardens; Bengal moves Ranji Trophy opener.
Sourav Ganguly hails Mohammed Shami, but gives no 2027 World Cup guarantee
Sourav Ganguly hailed Mohammed Shami for continuing to play domestic cricket and perform whenever he gets the chance. The former BCCI president believes that the pacer remains a top-class player despite being out of the India setup across the formats.
Ganguly said, as quoted by PTI, “What makes me happy for Shami is that he turns out day in and day out in domestic cricket and performs. It is terrific to see. He has achieved so much.”
When asked about Shami’s chances of playing in the ICC ODI World Cup 2026, Ganguly said it was too early to make any prediction, as the tournament is still more than a year away. The CAB president added, “That's a long way. I can't comment. It's in October (next year). It's a long way.”
Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on Mohammed Shami’s India snub
Ganguly also rejected the notion that Mohammed Shami is being overlooked by the national selectors. He explained that this can happen to experienced players as they get older and shared that he faced a similar situation during his own career.
The former BCCI president recalled being dropped from India’s ODI World Cup plans for a year despite having scored more than 10,000 international runs. He eventually fought his way back into the team and feels Shami can also find his way back.
Ganguly shared, "He is not being neglected. He has played a lot. He is an absolute champion. But as you grow older, this happens. When I got left out from World Cup one-day cricket for a year, after scoring 10,000 runs, I found my way to come back. So, this happens with everyone." Amid this, 'Isn't even as old as my cricket career' - Mohammed Shami opens up on banter With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Sourav Ganguly backs Ishan Kishan for Test comeback after Duleep Trophy heroics
The CAB president also congratulated East Zone for their Duleep Trophy triumph and lauded Ishan Kishan for his brilliant captaincy. Ganguly also believes that Kishan can make a Test comeback, having last played a Test for India against the West Indies in July 2023.
Ganguly said, "I spoke to Kishan this afternoon. It's terrific and remarkable. Every young player wants to play Test cricket, and hopefully he will. He played exceptionally well in all the finals of the Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq Ali, and Duleep Trophy."
"If he performs, I think for every young player, Test cricket should be important. They must want to play Test cricket, and hopefully he will. He gets runs in big matches.... Vijay Hazare final, Mushtaq final, Duleep Trophy final."
