He last represented India in the Champions Trophy 2025 final.
The ongoing selection saga involving Mohammed Shami and BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar has sparked strong reactions from the spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin, who retired from international cricket last year, weighed on the issue and demanded “direct communication” between players and selectors.
The controversy erupted when Shami expressed his frustration over his snub from India’s squad for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, Asia Cup 2025, and, more recently, the white-ball tour of Australia. The Indian pacer asserted that his availability for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 should have been enough to prove his fitness.
“If there is any fitness issue, then I should not be here. If I can play four-day (matches), then I can play 50-over (matches),” Shami had remarked earlier this month.
Responding to Shami’s comments at the NDTV World Summit 2025, the chief selector confirmed that Shami was considered for selection, but fitness concerns kept him away.
“If he said something, maybe that is a conversation for me to have with him, or for him to have with me. But even before England, we said that if he was fit, he would have been on that plane. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. Our domestic season has just started, so we’ll see if he is fit enough, and we’ll see where it goes,” said Agarkar.
The controversy didn’t end there as Shami hit back again, saying, “Let selectors say whatever they want. You have seen how I bowled. It is all in front of your eyes.”
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin offered a balanced take on the matter, mentioning the lack of direct communication between the two parties as the reason behind the selection conundrum saga.
“I will say one thing frankly – everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech. That is something I really wish would change. It has to change from both the players’ side and the administrators’ side as well. What I’ve noticed is that if something is said indirectly, it’s bound to come out in the news. So, clearly on the part of the player, there is not much confidence to approach someone and say, ‘This is what I’m going through,'” Ashwin said.
“Look at what Shami did. He performed and then spoke at the press conference – there’s nothing wrong with that. But why is he saying all this? Because he hasn’t got clarity. If Shami had been given clarity, like ‘this is what we’re expecting,’ then he could respond accordingly. Or, has Shami received the communication and is choosing not to disclose it? We don’t know the reality,” he added. “But at the same time, I really liked how Ajit Agarkar handled it. I really hope that phone call has happened. Having said all this, it’s about handling people with respect and dignity. I think having direct communication is very important.”
Shami demonstrated his fitness and capabilities in the Ranji Trophy opener, taking three wickets for Bengal. He concluded Uttarakhand’s first innings by claiming three wickets in the span of four overs. He carried the form in Uttarakhand’s second innings, picking up a four-wicket haul, earning the Player of the Match award.
The performance appeared to challenge Agarkar’s stance on Shami’s fitness being the reason for his non-selection.
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