The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday evening announced the team for the Test series against South Africa. Rishabh Pant returned to the team as vice-captain under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, Akash Deep was also included but once again fast bowler Mohammed Shami was ignored. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him along with Pant. Shami was seen with selector RP Singh in Ranji Trophy, after which the discussion on him intensified.

Last time, the reason for Mohammed Shami’s exclusion was fitness. Shami is currently playing for Bengal team in Ranji Trophy, where he took 7 wickets against Uttarakhand and 8 wickets against Gujarat. After taking 15 wickets in 2 matches, it seemed that Shami could be included in the Test series against South Africa, but it did not happen.

Gambhir-Agarkar criticized on social media

A fan wrote on social media, “This management is ignoring older players. We have examples of this, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ashwin and now Shami.” Another fan wrote, “There is no place for Mohammed Shami in the Indian team for the South Africa Test! It is difficult to be like Mohammed Shami, he deserves better than this.”

One fan wrote, “Why is Mohammed Shami not in the team? Is his fitness a matter of concern despite all the hard work in Ranji Trophy and other competitions? Could this be the end of Shami playing for India?”

why is @MdShami11 not in the squad?

Is his fitness still a concern even after his hard work in the Ranji Trophy and other competitions?

Could this be the end of Mohammed Shami’s time playing for India?#MohammedShami #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/z2nI0ipjhL

— Rohit Sharma Fan (@hitmanfanfollow) November 5, 2025

No Mohammed Shami for South Africa Tests!

He’s played all three Ranji Trophy games for Bengal this season, picking 15 wickets at 15.53, SR 37.2#Shami #INDvSA

— Vishwa Prakash Yadav (@vishwaprakash09) November 5, 2025

India’s test squad against South Africa

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper, vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammad Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.