India’s veteran pacer Mohammed Shami remains one of the finest performers for the team across formats. In Tests and ODIs, Shami has time and again emerged as a match-winner for the team. While his performances for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) speak for the talent he has, there hasn’t been much clarity about his international future in the T20 format. Shami, who is set to be honoured with the Arjuna award, was asked about his future in the shortest format, and he didn’t shy away from admitting that he himself lacks clarity on the subject.

Shami’s last T20 came for India against England back in the T20 World Cup last year. Since then, the veteran pacer hasn’t been called up in the shortest format by the selectors. While the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to the T20 internationals for the 3-match series against Afghanistan, for the first time since last year’s T20 World Cup, Shami didn’t find a place in the team.

Shami, however, is ready to deliver in the IPL and make selectors believe that he still has what it takes to shine in T20s for the national team.

“Whenever T20s are being talked about, I don’t understand if I am in the scheme of things or not. But I believe that there’s IPL before the T20 World Cup. I don’t know what will happen but playing T20 matches before the World Cup will help you show what your rhythm and performance is. If the team management likes what it sees, I am available for selection,” he told Sports Tak.

Shami, much like Kohli and Rohit, isn’t high up in the pecking order when it comes to T20 internationals. But, the IPL 2024 season will give him and many other Indian players a chance to prove their credentials and board that flight to South Africa for the T20 World Cup.