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After his Man of the Series show in the 2023 ODI World Cup, an ankle injury sidelined Shami out for more than a year.

Although the right-arm pacer returned to the Indian squad for a brief period during their triumphant Champions Trophy in 2025, but since then, Shami has lost favour of the selectors. While chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, maintained Shami isn't fit for Tests, his performances tell a different story.

The Bengal pacer has been in tremendous form in the ongoing Duleep Trophy for East Zone, taking five wickets in the semifinal against Central Zone and helped his team reach the final after 13 long years. Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun felt BCCI's treatment towards Shami isn't right.

The Duleep Trophy final will be Shami's 100th match in red-ball cricket. Arun, who played a crucial role in Shami's rise in international cricket, urged the BCCI selectors to evaluate Shami's "durability" even at this age.

"They shouldn't have closed the door on Shami," Arun was quoted as saying to The Indian Express. "There is still plenty of cricket left in him. When someone is performing, age shouldn't be a factor. You see his durability. It is an outstanding number for the kind of talent he possesses," he added.

"It is actually befitting for Shami. 100 first-class matches with what he loves most, the red ball," added Arun, who served as the bowling coach during Ravi Shastri's tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. Jasprit Bumrah has led the Indian pace attack in the last few years, but his absence made it difficult for the new boys to step up to that level.

Ishan Kishan speaks highly for Mohammed Shami

While Harshit Rana has spent most of the time on the sidelines since his debut in 2024, the like of Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar have displayed okayish performances in recent times.

Not just Arun, but his East Zone captain Ishan Kishan too spoke highly about Shami. The Jharkhand wicketkeeper and a vital cog in the Indian side, spoke about Shami's hunger to make an effort even at this age and return to the national setup, which in turn help the team overall.

"As a captain, looking at the effort, I felt very nice, because Shami bhai coming in, asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets, it always gives confidence," Ishan said on the eve of the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai. "Looking at Shami bhai this season, I feel he has been very different.

"I've seen him in the past, but his approach towards the game, his intensity, his energy has been very different. When you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to again have that same kind of motivation for your domestic games, it is tough but I feel I see that hunger in him.

"I think he has that hunger and that motivation right now like he wants to do that comeback, he wants to be part of Indian squad again and which you can see in him," added Kishan, who will next play against Afghanistan in the T20I series and the Asian Games, both happening in September.