India does not have a like-for-like bowler who can replace Mohammed Shami: Coach Badruddin Siddiqui

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3 min readMumbaiFeb 17, 2026 10:48 PM IST

PTI) FILE PHOTO: Bengal bowler Mohammed Shami in action. (PHOTO: PTI)

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s toil and bagful of wickets in domestic cricket should have earned him an India call, his long-time coach Badruddin Siddiqui opines. He, however, has resigned to the fact that the selectors have decided to look beyond him for now. “Mujhe bhi wohi lagta hai ke selectors ab usse bhool gaye hain (I feel the selectors have forgotten about him),” Siddiqui said on Tuesday, after Shami scalped eight wickets against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy semifinal in Kalyani.

Shami did the star turn with 8 for 90 as Bengal took a 26-run first innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir. But by the end of the day J&K’s Auqib Nabi and Sunil Kumar took four wickets each to bowl out Bengal for just 99.

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While 29-year-old Nabi tops the wicket-taker’s list with 55 scalps, Shami at 35 has 36 wickets to his name and is sixth in the standings. Shami will have to be at his best as Bengal need just 83 more runs for a win with eight wickets in hand.

Shami’s last appearance for India was in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy against New Zealand. Being out of the India team has been tough for him, Badruddin said.

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“It’s tough for him. It’s tough for me as well. He hasn’t made it back to the Indian team despite performance. He doesn’t have any other option and he has to keep performing and wait. What else can I say? Even today he took 8 wickets and bowled more than 20 overs so fitness is not the issue for sure,” Badruddin said.

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As the Indian team has not found a like-for-like bowler who can replace Shami, the coach feels he still has a future with the national team.

“I also think that we don’t have a bowler like him in the Indian team yet. If we get a bowler like him, I can understand. We are losing Test matches at home. Even after that, they are making a bowler like Shami, a master of the red-ball, sit out,” Badruddin said adding, “We have lost to South Africa and New Zealand but still he was snubbed. I keep telling him to perform. How long will he be ignored?” the coach added.

Having spent years covering Mumbai’s local "maidan" cricket circuit, Devendra Pandey brings a unique ground-level perspective to his reporting. ... Read More

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