India recently named their squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, with Shubman Gill set to lead the side. However, the omission of Mohammed Shami from India’s squad has triggered intense debate. Shami has been a pillar of India’s pace attack for over a long period of time, but his continued absence from India's squad has been a matter of huge discussion. The last time Shami represented India was during the Champions Trophy last year. 

Since then, the pacer has been battling fitness issues and working tirelessly to regain full match readiness. Shami also made a spirited effort to make his case to return through domestic cricket. However, despite his commitment, the selectors have overlooked him in the Test squad. Meanwhile, former India batter Wasim Jaffer questioned the reasoning behind Shami's omission and called it “disrespectful” to a player of Shami’s stature.

“It’s rubbish (Ajit Agarkar’s explanation). We are talking about Mohammad Shami, not just any player. It’s disrespectful to Mohammad Shami. You see, this guy is performing, and you say he’s only fit for T20. It’s an excuse. Be clear if you don’t consider him, you, ‘We have overlooked him.’ That would be a fair statement. He is coming after guiding Bengal single-handedly to the Ranji Trophy (season) semi-final, the way he spearheaded the bowling," Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

Shami was highly effective during the Ranji Trophy, picking up 37 wickets from 7 matches. And, in the IPL 2026, he played 12 matches for the Lucknow Super Giants and claimed 10 wickets. 

“What if Bumrah gets injured, and he comes back? Would you treat him the same way? Mohammad Shami is in the same bracket. Go and ask any international batter, and they would rank him on top. It’s disrespectful for the services he provided to India," he concluded.