BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar‘s recent comments at the NDTV World Summit 2025 about Mohammed Shami went viral. After being ignored for the Australia limited-overs tour, the fast bowler had said that his availability for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy proved he was fit, and that it was not his job to update the selection panel about it. Shami was also left out of the England tour. Regarding that, Agarkar said: “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.”
Following that comment, Shami responded: “Let him say whatever he wants. You’ve seen how I bowled. It’s all in front of your eyes.”
Commenting on the situation, Ravichandran Ashwin said that more direct communication would help resolve the selection conundrum.
“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 on his YouTube channel.
“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.”
“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.”