Mohammed Shami Eyes a Strong Comeback for the 2026 T20 World Cup

The Indian team has started to prepare for the 2026 T20 World Cup. They will be entering as the defending champions in the tournament, which makes it vital for them to be a strong team. Ahead of the T20 World Cup, Mohammed Shami also aims to make his comeback in the T20 format and get a spot.

The next ICC Men's event aligned is the T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to take place in February 2026. This will be an important tournament for the Indian team, as they enter being the defending champions of the tournament. Moreover, the team will be Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the first time.

Still, India is having various players who are eager to make their comeback to the T20 side. And one of them is Mohammed Shami, who now eyes to make a T20 comeback for the Indian team. With Shami being selected for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he now has his eyes set to get a spot in the T20 World Cup squad.

1. Shami Returns to Domestic

Mohammed Shami has not been a part of the Indian team since the Champions Trophy. And as for the T20 format, it has been a long time since fans watched him play for India. As of now, Shami has been working hard in the domestics to ensure that he could in the Indian team.

He has been able to do well in the Test format, as he last played a Test match in 2023, against Australia in the World Test Championship final. But since then, Shami has not been a part of the team in this format, and played just the ODIs. On his domestic return, Shami was still able to deliver well on the Indian pitches, taking wickets for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.

With his red hot form, Shami has also set his eyes on the T20 World Cup 2026. The last T20I match he played was against England in 2025, and he ended up taking 3 wickets for the team in just 2.3 overs. But since then, he has still not been able in the Indian team in the T20 format.

For this, Shami now has the perfect opportunity, which is the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It has been reported that Shami is likely to be a part of Bengal's team in the upcoming edition of the tournament. The tournament is all set to commence from 26 November, and will go on till December 18. If Shami is able to do well for the team, he would be back in contention for the T20 World Cup 2026.

2. Shami's Ranji Form

Before the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy begins, it should be noted that Shami is having a red hot form in the game. And if he is able to continue this form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it might also help him to get his for the T20 World Cup.

In the Ranji Trophy, Shami has played a total of four games for Bengal in this season. His stats remain impressive in the tournament, with Shami grabbing 20 wickets in just four games. This also includes a four-wicket haul against Uttarakhand and a five-wicket haul

With Shami's impressive form in the Ranji Trophy, he also eyes his place in the Test team. But he has been overlooked by the selectors over the last few months. He was not a part of the team in the England tour, Australia tour, home series against the West Indies, and now the series against South Africa.

3. Shami in T20Is

Mohammed Shami has not received many opportunities for the Indian team in the T20I format. He has played just 25 matches for India in his decade long career, but never been able to find a consistent place in the team. Shami played his first T20I game in 2014, and in 11 years, he has played just 25 games.

Mohammed Shami in T20Is:

• Innings: 25
• Overs: 85
• Maidens: 1
• Wickets: 27
• Average: 28.18
• Economy: 8.95

This averages to less than 3 T20I games for Shami every year. If he is able to dominate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it will help Shami to be noticed by the selectors in the T20I format. And the initial rounds of the tournament might also help him to get a spot in the limited-overs team against South Africa.