LUCKNOW, March 19 -- When BCCI announced its annual retainership contracts in February, Mohammed Shami's name was missing. If anything, that was a sign the board had decided to look toward younger talent. But the pacer, who last played a T20I in February 2025 (the ODI Champions Trophy in March 2025 was his last India outing), has made a slow but steady recovery from a knee injury that looked like it had all but ended his career. The first signs appeared during a Ranji season in which he took 37 wickets (avg 16.72) for Bengal. More importantly, he bowled 230.3 overs in the tournament. In terms of fitness, he had taken a significant step forward. It got him into the conversation again but to truly grab the attention of the national selectors,...