Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mohammed Shami ripped through SunRisers Hyderabad on Sunday, April 5, delivering a fiery spell against his former team. Shami dismantled SRH’s powerful top order, leaving them reeling at 22/3 inside the powerplay.
He removed both openers, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, setting the tone early and putting LSG firmly in control in their second match of the season. Shami was exceptional with the new ball, finishing with figures of 4-0-9-2, one of his best returns in the IPL.
His opening burst quickly lit up social media, with fans taking to X to praise the veteran pacer while also questioning his prolonged absence from the Indian team setup.
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Many fans directed their criticism towards India head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, questioning why a bowler of Shami’s calibre has been out of the national side for over a year.
Shami last played for India during the victorious Champions Trophy campaign, where he led the pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Since then, he has continued to impress in domestic cricket as well.
Turning out for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, Shami picked up 37 wickets in the season. His standout performance came in the semi-final, where he claimed 8 wickets for 90 runs in the first innings against Jammu and Kashmir.
However, despite Shami’s heroics, Bengal fell short in the match, with their batting line-up collapsing against Auqib Nabi, who picked up 9 wickets across the game.
WHY IS SHAMI NOT PLAYING FOR INDIA?
It became clear that India have moved on from Mohammed Shami when he was not selected for any of the ODI matches in the 2025-26 season. Despite a good outing in domestic cricket, Shami was sidelined from the Indian team, which angered his personal coach Mohammed Badruddin. The coach lashed out at the selectors in an interview with India Today.
“What more can a player do? How many more wickets should the player take?” Shami’s coach had told India Today.
Shami’s coach had feared the worst for his disciple, stating that the selectors might have moved on from the fast bowler.
“This means that they do not want him in the ODI team. He has a lot to give,” he had added.
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