'Committee Has Done An Injustice': Bengal Head Coach Calls Out BCCI Selectors After Mohammed Shami's ODI Snub

On January 3, 2026, the BCCI Committee announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming at-home ODI series against New Zealand. While senior players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were named in the squad, senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami was surprisingly not called up, despite his brilliant performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Mohammed Shami has been consistent across domestic cricket this season with picking up 11 wickets in five matches so far for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Notably, in Bengal's latest fixture against Assam, Shami returned figures of 3 for 55, helping bowl out the opposition for 217.

Following the squad announcement, Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla criticised the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee for not selecting Mohammed Shami in the upcoming ODI series and said it was an 'injustice' to the player.

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Laxmi Ratan Shukla Chastises BCCI Committee After Mohammed Shami's Omission

India named Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshdeep Singh as their preferred pacers for the upcoming ODIs against New Zealand.

While talking to Revsportz, Shukla said, "The selection committee has done an injustice to Mohammed Shami. No international player has played domestic cricket with as much dedication as Shami in the recent past. Even after toiling hard in domestic cricket, what the selection committee has done with Shami is shameful."

Notably, Shami has picked up 47 wickets in 16 domestic matches this season, including 20 wickets in four Ranji Trophy games, 11 wickets in five Vijay Hazare Trophy games so far, and 16 wickets in seven SMAT matches.

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Shami Last Played For India In March 2025

Mohammed Shami last played for India's ODI side in the Champions Trophy, where his performance played a key role in helping India lift the title. He was then sidelined due to fitness issues, but still kept on proving his worth through solid performances in domestic cricket.

India's ODI squad against New Zealand: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.