India chief selector Ajit Agarkar reveals why Mohammed Shami missed Australia tour: ‘We were desperate to get him but…’ | Cricket News
Former India chief selector Ajit Agarkar has spoken about Mohammed Shami’s exclusion from the England series, saying it was due to fitness issues. However, he did not specify the reason for Shami’s absence from the upcoming Australian ODI series.Shami’s most recent international match was the Champions Trophy final. He then played nine matches in the IPL 2025 before injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament.
After a three-month break from cricket, Shami returned to action in the Duleep Trophy, representing the East Zone against the North Zone. He managed to take only one wicket in 34 overs. Despite expectations of his inclusion in Australia’s squad for the ODI series, he was not selected.“The selection is not in my hands. If there is any fitness problem, I should not be here to play for Bengal. I think I don’t need to talk about this and create a controversy. If I can play for four days [Ranji Trophy]I can also play 50-overs cricket,” Shami told PTI.At the NDTV Global Summit on Friday, Agarkar responded to Shami’s comments.“If he says that to me, I will respond to him. If I read what he said, I will call him. I have had several discussions with him over the last few months. If he has said something, it is a conversation I need to have with him,” Agarkar said.“If he was fit, he would have been on that plane to England. The domestic season has just started and we will see if he is fit enough. We were desperate to have him for the Australia tour, but he was not fit. If he is fit in the next couple of months, the story might change,” Agarkar added.While announcing the ODI squad, the chief selector mentioned that he had no update on Shami’s situation.Shami responded to this statement.“As far as updates are concerned, it is not my responsibility to give an update or ask for an update. It is not my job to give updates on my fitness. My job is to go to the NCA, prepare and play matches,” Shami said.Currently, Mohammed Shami is participating in the Ranji Trophy tournament.
