The hopes of India cricket team star Mohammed Shami making a comeback to the Test squad have taken another hit. After being left out of the teams for the series against England and the West Indies, he is now been overlooked again for the upcoming series against South Africa at home. To make matters worse, Shami, who last played for India during the Champions Trophy in 2025, has also been excluded from the India A squad for the ODIs against South Africa A. Shami hasn’t played in a Test match since the World Test Championship final against Australia in 2023. Following the ODI World Cup later that year, he found himself sidelined for over a year. Although he made a return to international cricket earlier in 2025 during the series against England and was included in the CT 2025 squad, his lackluster performance in IPL 2025 led the selectors to overlook him in all formats. Read also: Haris Rauf Banned After Asia Cup Misconduct, Suryakumar Yadav Under ICC Watch Fitness Issues and IPL Form Behind Shami’s Team India Snub There’s been some back-and-forth between Shami and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, with Agarkar stating that fitness was the main reason for Shami’s exclusion. In contrast, Shami insists he’s fit and points to his performances in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy as evidence. Recently, Shami has shown his skills in domestic red-ball cricket, taking 15 wickets in just three matches, including a five-wicket haul against Gujarat. One of the key factors that led to Shami falling out of favor with the selectors was his performance in IPL 2025. Many experts noted his struggles with maintaining consistent pace and length, and he didn’t make a strong impression throughout the season. Now, it will be interesting to see how Shami can fight his way back into the Indian setup, whether in white-ball or red-ball cricket.