'Let Him Say Whatever...': Mohammed Shami Hits Back At Ajit Agarkar's Fitness Remarks After Impressive Ranji Trophy Performance

Mohammed Shami vs Ajit Agarkar Controversy: India's star pacer Mohammed Shami was quick to react to Ajit Agarkar's comments on his fitness, saying that the BCCI chief selector can say 'whatever he wants' in terms of his fitness, but his performance is in front of everyone to see. Shami and Agarkar have been involved in a major controversy after the senior fast bowler missed out on the selection for the upcoming Australia tour.

Shami wasn't included in any of the T20I or ODI squads. He is taking part in the Ranji Trophy as he represents Bengal in their opening round game against Uttarakhand, and went on to dismiss Agarkar’s comments.

The latter had said on Friday that whenever Shami is fit enough to represent India, the selection committee would be glad to have him back. "If Shami were here, I would give him an answer. If he is fit, why would we not have a bowler like Shami?" Agarkar questioned.

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"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. If he stays fit over the next few months, the story might be different, but he was not fit to be picked for the England tour," Agarkar said.

"Let him say whatever he wants. You have seen how I bowled. It is all in front of your eyes," Shami told the media at the Eden Gardens at the end of the third day’s play.

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Shami looked in impressive touch as he wrapped up Uttarakhand’s first innings in the Ranji Trophy opener, taking the final three wickets in a single over to clean up the tail and hand Bengal a first-innings lead. The 35-year-old picked four wickets in Uttarakhand’s second innings, dismissing skipper Kunal Chandela for 72, besides Abhay Negi, Janmejay Joshi and Rajan Kumar.

Shami responded with the ball in hand, putting Agarkar’s claim about fitness under the scanner on the back of his performance, proving that the reason given for his omission was not accurate. Notably, Shami had criticised the explanation given by the BCCI selectors, arguing that fitness could not be the reason for his omission since he had been playing in four-day games.

Shami's last appearance for India came in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which the Men in Blue won in the UAE under Rohit Sharma's captaincy. After playing a few matches in the IPL 2025, Shami missed out on the selection for the England tour and the Asia Cup 2025.