# Shami omission draws criticism, Shastri calls for recall 2026-10-19T15:26:27+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 5 independent outlets Mohammed Shami's continued absence from India's squads for the New Zealand tour has sparked debate, with former cricketers criticising the BCCI's lack of transparency. The 36-year-old pacer, who last played a Test in June 2023 and an ODI in March 2025, was left out of the Test and ODI squads announced on 16 October for the two-Test, five-ODI and five-T20I series starting in November 2026. Former India batter Mohammad Kaif said the selectors owed Shami an explanation, pointing to his domestic form and his role in India's 2023 World Cup final run. Former head coach Ravi Shastri argued Shami had done enough to be recalled. Former opener Abhinav Mukund said the selectors must have reasons, noting that age was not a factor given Bhuvneshwar Kumar's recall. India's Test pace attack includes Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Coverage splits between critics demanding transparency and analysts who see a deliberate selection call. Times of India and NDTV lead with Kaif's attack on BCCI's lack of accountability, framing the omission as a transparency failure. Crictracker and Livemint offer a balanced picture, quoting Mukund's view that selectors have reasons, and Shastri's endorsement of Shami's form. Times Now highlights Shastri's backing but notes Shami was still overlooked. The uniform wire-like reporting across all outlets on the squad details shows no factual dispute. The open question remains whether the selectors will offer clarity on Shami's fitness and readiness before the Test series begins on 19 November. ## Coverage Coverage: 5 sources, 1 government-critical, 3 neutral, 1 sensationalist - ndtv.com (sensationalist) Headline blasts BCCI with no selector view quoted - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (government critical) Leads with Kaif's no-accountability attack on BCCI - crictracker.com (neutral report) Presents Kaif criticism alongside Mukund's defence of selectors - livemint.com (neutral report) Focuses on Shastri's recall call and Bumrah workload management - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Highlights Shastri backing Shami but notes non-selection This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: BCCI, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Kaif, Mohammed Shami, New Zealand, Ravi Shastri Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/shami-omission-draws-criticism-shastri-calls-for-recall/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/shami-omission-draws-criticism-shastri-calls-for-recall/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/