India's path to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final has become more challenging following losses in the first two Tests of a three-match series against New Zealand. To keep their hopes alive, they must perform exceptionally well in their upcoming five-match Test series against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While many expected Shami’s return to the squad after a year-long absence, he ultimately was not included in the final 18-man squad.

Shami’s Instagram post, showing him intensely focused on his fitness, included a caption reading, "Putting in my efforts and improving my bowling fitness day by day. I apologize to the fans and BCCI but promise I’ll be ready soon to play red-ball cricket again. Love you all." His commitment to a return is clear as he continues training to prepare for domestic matches.

The reason for Shami's exclusion stems from ongoing injury concerns. Since the ODI World Cup 2023 final, Shami has been recovering from an ankle injury, followed by surgery and rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Reports suggest a knee injury during his recovery further delayed his return, ultimately ruling him out of the crucial tour to Australia.

With his focused recovery efforts, Shami aims to rejoin India’s red-ball lineup soon, keeping fans hopeful for his return.