Just two years after standing in the grand halls of Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive the Arjuna Award from the President of India, Mohammed Shami found himself in a quiet schoolroom in South Kolkata. The man who has picked up 462 international wickets for India in international cricket was defending something personal: his right to vote.
Shami says, “Call me 10 times, I will come”
Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Shami arrived at the Katjunagar Swarnamayee Vidyapith for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearing, accoring to a TOI report. Despite his global fame, the veteran pacer was flagged as an “unmapped voter” due to a clerical mismatch involving his parents’ 2003 records in Uttar Pradesh.
While others might have seen the summons as a big question mark on thier nationality, Shami saw the the 15-minute verification as his civic duty. Brandishing his passport as proof, he issued a defiant statement for the waiting reporters.
“I am a proud Indian and Bengal citizen. If called 10 times, I will come and prove my citizenship on every single occasion.”
Mohammed Shami fighting for a place back in Indian team
Meanwhile, Shami is also fighting for a place back in the Indian team. After a long injury layoff, Shami has failed to cement his place in the side. Despite a good 2025-26 season, he was not picked for the New Zealand series.
The Domestic Fire: He skipped his initial hearing date to lead the Bengal attack in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, proving his fitness with 36 wickets across formats this season.
The High-Stakes Move: The IPL market clearly disagrees with the national selectors. Shami has officially moved to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the 2026 season in a blockbuster ₹10 crore trade from Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Mohammed Shami international’s and IPL career
Across the three formats, Shami has been a match winner. He has represented India in 64 Tests, 108 ODIs and 25 T20Is, most famously playing with a leg injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup where the Men in Blue had a dream run-up to the fina only to fall short in the title-decider against Australia. In addition, Shami has 133 wickets from 119 IPL matches.