 "Mohammed Shami has played just one competitive match since the 18th season of the Indian Premier League – the Duleep Trophy quarter-final between East Zone and North Zone in Bengaluru. PTI")
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his thoughts on the ongoing clash between pacer Mohammad Shami and chief selector Ajit Agarkar . The debate began after Shami was left out of India’s squad for the Australia tour, with questions being raised about his fitness.
Agarkar had mentioned during the squad announcement that he was unsure about Shami’s current fitness. The pacer was not picked for the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England as well. Shami responded by pointing out that he had played in the 2025 Duleep Trophy and was set to feature in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy for Bengal and that nobody asked him about his fitness.
Shami slammed the BCCI selectors for placing the onus of announcing fitness on players rather than communicating with the Centre of Excellence (CoE) staff in Bengaluru. Agarkar again made a comment about Shami’s fitness while speaking to NDTV, where he said that if he is fit enough, he would have been considered for selection. Shami hit back by saying, “he can say whatever he wants.”
Ashwin reacts to the feud
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin reacted to the feud and called for better communication between players and selectors. Ashwin said that Shami is making all these comments because he doesn’t have the clarity from the selectors. However, the former India spinner also praised Agarkar for handling the situation well.
“I will say one thing frankly, everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech. I really wish that it changes. It has to change from both the players’ side and the selectors’ side as well. What I have noticed is that if something indirect is said, it is bound to come out in the news. Look what Shami did. He performed and then talked in the press conference, there is nothing wrong with that. But why is he talking all of this? Because he does not have clarity. But, at the same time, I really loved how Ajit Agarkar handled it. I really hope that phone call has happened,” Ashwin said.
Shami has not played for India since the ICC Champions Trophy in March this year. He has been in and out of the Indian squad for a long time after suffering an injury during the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Meanwhile, the Indian team is focusing on giving chances to younger players, with many changes happening since Shubman Gill took over as captain in Tests and ODIs.