A public ‘cold war’ appears to be brewing between star India pacer Mohammed Shami and Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar, with Shami delivering a dismissive retort to the latter’s recent comments regarding his fitness.
The controversy stems from Shami’s exclusion from India’s ODI squad for the upcoming Australia tour, with Agarkar citing fitness concerns and limited game time as the primary reasons.
Speaking to the media at Eden Gardens, where he is currently representing Bengal in their Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand, Shami was quick to hit back at the chief selector. “Let him say whatever he wants. You have seen how I bowled. It is all in front of your eyes,” the pacer stated curtly at the end of the third day’s play.
Shami’s reaction comes days after Agarkar, speaking at an event, questioned the pacer’s readiness. “If Shami were here, I would give him an answer. If he is fit, why would we not have a bowler like Shami? I have had multiple chats with him. Over the last six to eight months, what we have found out is that he was not fit… he was not fit to be picked for the England tour,” Agarkar had claimed.
The veteran pacer, however, has let his performance on the field do the talking. On Day 1, Shami finished off Uttarakhand’s first innings with a sensational burst, taking three wickets in a single over to clean up the tail and hand Bengal a crucial first-innings lead. He continued his strong showing in the second innings, picking up four more wickets, including that of rival skipper Kunal Chandela (72).
This on-field response strongly suggested Shami’s belief that Agarkar’s claims about fitness being the sole reason for his omission from the national limited-overs setup are inaccurate.
Earlier in the week, a visibly frustrated Shami had criticised the selectors’ explanation, questioning how fitness could be a concern when he was actively participating in the demands of four-day, first-class cricket. The fiery exchange signals growing tensions between the experienced speedster and the new selection regime ahead of a critical domestic season.