Mohammed Shami exposes chief selector Ajit Agarkar

Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has taken a subtle dig at the team management over his fitness, following his omission from the ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming Australia tour.

Shami’s comments contrasted with those of chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who provided a different reason for his exclusion. Speaking to the media recently, Agarkar said there were no new updates on Shami’s status and pointed to his limited match time in recent seasons.

Having been overlooked for the white-ball series in Australia, the veteran pacer will feature for Bengal in the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season starting 15 October, under captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, the Cricket Association of Bengal confirmed.

“The Indian team never reached out to me about my fitness. It’s not my job to update them — they should be the ones to ask. If I can play four-day cricket, then why can’t I play a 50-over game?. If I was unfit, I’d be at the NCA, not playing in the Ranji Trophy,” Shami said.

Shami rejected claims about his fitness, insisting he is ready for action even though he was not picked for India’s limited-overs squads. He said the communication gap came from team management, pointing out that his participation in four-day Ranji games shows he can manage 50-over cricket as well.

“I don’t have any new updates. He featured in the Duleep Trophy, but over the past couple of years, he hasn’t played much cricket. I think he had one game for Bengal and another in the Duleep Trophy. We all know his ability, but he needs to get more matches under his belt,” Agarkar had said.

Shami last appeared for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand. After a strong start with five wickets versus Bangladesh, he went wicketless in two games before returning to form in the semifinal and final.