Former India pacer and current chief selector Ajit Agarkar has clarified that Mohammed Shami was not selected for the recent England series due to fitness concerns and, as of now, remains unavailable for the upcoming Australia ODI series as well. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Agarkar stated that Shami’s omission was purely a matter of physical readiness, though he refrained from revealing the exact nature of the fast bowler’s injury.

Shami last represented India in the Champions Trophy 2025 final, before featuring in nine matches for Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025, where he was later ruled out mid-season due to a recurring injury. After nearly three months of rehabilitation, he made a return in the Duleep Trophy, representing East Zone against North Zone.

However, his performance was far from his usual standards, managing just one wicket across 34 overs. Despite this, many expected the veteran pacer to make India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour — a decision that didn’t materialise, leading to visible frustration from the cricketer.

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In an interview with PTI, Mohammed Shami voiced his disappointment, saying, “Selection isn’t in my hands. If there’s a fitness issue, I shouldn’t be here playing for Bengal. If I can play four-dayers, I can play 50-over cricket too.”

Ajit Agarkar responded to the statement calmly, saying, “If he says that to me, I’ll answer that directly. I’ve spoken to Shami several times over the past few months. If he’s fit, he would’ve been on that plane to England. We were desperate to have him for the Australia series, but he wasn’t fit. If he regains full fitness in the next two months, things could change.”

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Shami, on his part, insisted that his job was to train, prepare, and perform — not to provide fitness updates to the media. The veteran pacer’s recovery will now be closely monitored by the National Cricket Academy (NCA), as India looks ahead to a packed 2026 season where his experience and new-ball expertise could still prove invaluable.