‘If I can play 4-day cricket, why can’t 50-over game’:Mohammed Shami blasts Ajit Agarkar on Australia tour snub, says ‘he was not communicated’

Veteran India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has taken a subtle yet fine dig at the Indian team management over his fitness status after he was not included in the India squad for the Australia tour, which included five T20I matches and 3 ODI games. Shami targeted the chief Indian selector Ajit Agarkar as well, slamming the selection committee head’s claim that the former has not played enough cricket in recent times. ‘Indian team didn’t communicate with me’: Mohammed Shami Shami dispelled fitness rumours, insisting he is match-ready despite not finding a place in the limited-overs teams. The Indian pacer said the communication gap lay with the management, not him, emphasising that if he is fit enough to play four-day Ranji Trophy matches, he is equally capable of handling the demands of 50-over cricket. “The Indian team didn’t communicate with me regarding fitness. I am not the one who would inform them about my fitness – they have to ask me. If I can play four-day cricket, then why can’t I play a 50-over game? If I wasn’t fit, I’d be at the NCA and not playing here in the Ranji Trophy,” Shami said. Notably, he has been named in Bengal’s squad for the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, which begins on October 15. The side will be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, as confirmed by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Wednesday. However, he could not make it to the team for the Australia tour and test squad against West Indies at home. Shami vs Ajit Agarkar: contrast statements from chief selector and pacer Shami’s remarks were different from chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s explanation about the pacer’s snub from the India squad. Agarkar, while speaking to the media, said there had been no fresh updates on Shami and cited his limited game time in recent seasons. “I have no update. He has played in the Duleep Trophy. But in the last two-three years, he hasn’t played a lot of cricket. I think he played one game for Bengal and one in the Duleep Trophy. As a performer, we know what he can do, but he has to play cricket,” said Agarkar. Notably, Shami last played in the Champions Trophy 2025, where he first took a fifer against Bangladesh and then two wickets against Australia in the semis, along with one wicket vs New Zealand in the final. So far, it seems that Shami still has a lot of fire, and with a packed domestic season ahead and a crucial Test series against England in early 2026, he may secure his place in the India squad based on domestic performance.