While Ravichandran Ashwin praised Ajit Agarkar for smoothly handling the persistence shown by Mohammed Shami, he criticized the BCCI’s practice of not clarifying players about its decisions and the practice of ‘indirect speech’.
The Indian national team has faced some opposition in the form of its own players, after many of them were left out of selection without any proper explanation. One of the most notable controversies was Mohammed Shami’s dastardly view of Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
While Agarkar has repeatedly claimed that Shami is not at peak fitness and he will be selected in the team once he makes a comeback with full fitness. Shami, however, has denied these claims and proven his fitness time and again.
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“Everything in Indian cricket is about indirect speech,” said Ravichandran Ashwin.
Legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from the game but never fails to present his opinion on the game from his YouTube channel. Recently, he said that Indian cricket has a major problem that needs to be resolved.
He clarified that everything in Indian cricket is based on indirect speech, referring to the recent outburst of Champions Trophy winner Mohammed Shami. He urged the BCCI to clearly express its thoughts and plans to the players.
“I will say one thing frankly, everything in Indian cricket is based on indirect speech. I would really like that to change. It needs to change both from the players’ side and from the selectors’ side,” Ravichandran Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“But why is he (Shami) talking about all this?” – Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin further added that such outbursts are a result of lack of clarity on any issue, and Shami also does not seem to have immense clarity on his position in the Indian team.
“What I 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 spoke in the press conference; there is nothing wrong with that. But why is (Shami) talking about all this? Because he has no clarity,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.
However, while he pointed out Shami’s lack of clarity, he went on to praise Ajit Agarkar, who suggested clarifying the issue after having a word with Shami in a phone call.
“But, at the same time, I really loved the way Ajit Agarkar handled the situation. I really hope that phone call happened,” Ashwin added.
Will Mohammed Shami be considered for selection after a strong Ranji Trophy comeback?
Mohammed Shami last played in India colors during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where he picked 9 wickets, the highest for India alongside Varun Chakravarthy. Since then, the bowler has been hampered by injuries as well as a poor IPL season.
He recently made his return to the game with the first round of the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. He picked 7 wickets in the two innings and powered Bengal to a promising eight-wicket win over Uttarakhand. Shami recorded figures of 3/37 and 4/38 in the game.
After such a commendable performance, the pressure is now back on the Indian selectors ahead of selection for the upcoming home series against South Africa. The 35-year-old is once again in contention for a place in the national team.
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