India's ODI Squad For New Zealand: Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla has lambasted the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee for omitting senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami from India's ODI squad for the New Zealand series.

Shukla criticised the judgment as "shameful" and an "injustice", stressing that no international player has shown as much dedication to the domestic season as Shami.

Shami last donned the Indian ODI jersey in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where his brilliant performances played a pivotal role in securing the crown. Despite fighting fitness issues before and after the tournament, he claimed 11 wickets in five matches at an impressive average of 22.27.

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Notably, on the day of the squad selection announcement, Shami turned out a stellar all-round performance, taking 3/55 and scoring 25 unbeaten runs against Assam.

“The selection committee has done an injustice to Mohammed Shami. No international player has played domestic cricket with as much dedication as Shami in the recent past. Even after toiling hard in domestic cricket, what the selection committee has done with Shami is shameful," Shukla said on Saturday (January 3), as quoted by Revsportz.

Shami's outstanding domestic season was apparently overlooked, with the 34-year-old collecting 47 wickets in 16 matches across different tournaments. His tally contains 20 wickets in four Ranji Trophy games, 16 wickets in seven Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches, and 11 wickets in five Vijay Hazare Trophy games.

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India finalised its pacers for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand, with Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh earning selection alongside Prasidh Krishna.

India’s squad for New Zealand ODIs: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal.