Ravichandran Ashwin speaks on Mohammed Shami and Ajit Agarkar saga |courtesy – AP/Instagram
A lack of clarity is the primary cause of the present verbal spat between head selector Ajit Agarkar and experienced pacer Mohammad Shami, according to former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin. The selection committee continued to doubt the right-arm seamer’s health, hence he was left out of the squad for the Australia tour.
Following Shami’s exclusion from consideration for the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar trophy in England, Ajit Agarkar stated during the squad selection press conference that he is unsure about his present fitness level. In response, the pacer stated that he has participated in the 2025 Duleep Trophy and will soon play for Bengal in the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy.
Agarkar’s repeated doubts about Shami’s fitness and rhythm, coupled with his announcement that he will shortly hold talks to settle the dispute, caused the enmity to worsen. However, halfway during Bengal’s match against Uttarakhand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the veteran expressed dissatisfaction with the response, telling reporters that “he may say whatever he likes.”
In addition to expressing his thoughts on the entire story, Ashwin called for improved communication methods to discourage players from speaking to the media.
“I will say one thing frankly, everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech. I really wish that it changes. It has to change from both the players’ side and the selectors’ side as well. What I have 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 talked in the press conference, there is nothing wrong with that. But why is he talking all of this? Because he does not have clarity. But, at the same time, I really loved how Ajit Agarkar handled it. I really hope that phone call has happened,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The seasoned player was the only front-line bowler in the playing XI during the 2025 Champions Trophy, when he last played for India. He then had a miserable 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), taking just six wickets in nine games.
Bengal defeated Uttarakhand by eight wickets, with the pacer scoring 3-37 and 4-38 in the first and second innings, respectively. Shami’s efforts earned him the title of player of the match as well. The team captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran will next play Gujarat starting on Saturday, October 25.