India, May 20 -- Mohammed Shami's omission from India's squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan feels like a strong indication that the selectors have moved on from the veteran pacer. The experienced fast bowler last represented India during the Champions Trophy last year and has since been working hard to regain full match fitness. Shami even returned to domestic cricket, featuring in the Ranji Trophy in an attempt to push his case for a comeback in the red-ball setup, but the call-up never arrived.

With India now focusing heavily on building a younger core across formats, opportunities for senior players appear to be shrinking rapidly. The team management's current approach clearly points to long-term planning, especially in whi...