India vs England: How bigger miss will be Mohammed Shami for the visitors?

As the much-anticipated first Test of the five-match series between England and India draws near, the visitors find themselves without one of their key assets — senior pacer Mohammed Shami. A vital component of India’s red-ball success in recent years, Shami has been ruled out of the tour, leaving a noticeable gap in the pace attack. The veteran speedster, known for his ability to generate seam movement and extract bounce in overseas conditions, played a crucial role during India’s last tour of England, forming a deadly duo with Jasprit Bumrah. On that previous tour, the Bumrah-Shami partnership consistently rattled English batters, applying relentless pressure and picking up key wickets across innings.

India vs England: Will India miss Mohammed Shami?

However, in the 2025 series, only Bumrah remains to lead the pace unit. With Shami sidelined, the responsibility of guiding a relatively young and inexperienced pace attack now rests solely on Bumrah’s shoulders. India will need other fast bowlers in the squad to step up and fill the void, especially in seam-friendly English conditions that demand precision and control. As the series begins at Headingley, India’s bowling blueprint will be closely watched, particularly how they adapt without one of their most trusted and battle-hardened performers in Shami.

Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has weighed in on the absence of Mohammed Shami ahead of the crucial five-match Test series against England, stating that the Indian pace department will feel his absence significantly. Known for his accuracy, stamina, and ability to strike at crucial moments, Shami has been a pillar of India’s fast-bowling arsenal for years, especially in overseas conditions. Mhambrey highlighted how effective the Shami-Bumrah partnership had been in past tours, with both bowlers complementing each other perfectly to apply consistent pressure on opposition batters.

With Shami unavailable for this tour, Mhambrey believes the team will need someone else to step up and fill that void, and he pointed towards Mohammed Siraj as the most likely candidate. Although Siraj is relatively less experienced compared to Shami, he has already shown flashes of brilliance in previous outings, both at home and abroad. Mhambrey described Siraj as the next key figure in the pace setup, and noted that the upcoming series presents a big opportunity for him to solidify his place as Bumrah’s primary bowling partner. As India prepares to face England in testing conditions, much will depend on how effectively Siraj can shoulder the added responsibility in Shami’s absence.

"You've got to miss Shami's experience, right? Unfortunately, he is not there on the tour. Prior to this, you had three bowlers, experienced bowlers playing together. You have had Shami, Bumrah. You usually had Umesh in between. We played a lot of cricket together then. You don't have that option out here," Mhambrey told Hindustan Times.

"The second best from here is Mohammed Siraj. He needs to share the workload with Bumrah. The expectation shouldn't be that only Bumrah will go out and deliver for you. Siraj needs to shoulder that responsibility and do the job for the team because he is the senior-most after Bumrah out here. Someone like Prasidh has only a few Test matches under his belt, and the same is true for Akash Deep. Arsh [Arshdeep Singh] is on his debut. You don't want to have that pressure on them," he added.

The much-awaited Test series between India and England is all set to kick off with the first match at Headingley in Leeds, starting on June 20. This five-match red-ball contest marks the beginning of a fresh ICC World Test Championship cycle for both teams and promises to deliver high-quality cricket over the next several weeks. Following the opener in Leeds, the series will move to Edgbaston in Birmingham for the second Test, followed by fixtures at the iconic Lord’s in London, Old Trafford in Manchester, and finally The Oval, which will host the fifth and final Test.

While the battle between two of Test cricket’s powerhouses will be intense, India faces a few challenges when it comes to squad rotation—particularly in the pace department. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is expected to spearhead the bowling attack, is reportedly being managed carefully and may only be available for three of the five Tests. This makes the task of selecting India’s Playing XI for the remaining matches even more crucial. With Mohammed Shami already unavailable, team management will have to weigh their options closely, and pacers like Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, and Akash Deep could all be in contention as the series progresses.