'His fitness wasn't there' - BCCI selector Ajit Agarkar on Mohammed Shami's absence from India squd for Australia series

BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar has spoken on the management's agenda with Mohammed Shami and his cricketing future in the national setup. Shami last featured for India in their title-winning Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year.

Agarkar commented on how well Shami has performed over the years and also the pace bowler's latest retort to Agarkar's comments on Shami's fitness. He mentioned that the selection committee will assess Shami's fitness after he has featured in two more games of the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy. 

"He has been an incredible performer for India. If he said something, maybe that is a conversation for me to have with him or him to have with me but even before England, we said if he was fit, he would have been on that plane. Unfortunately, he wasn't. Our domestic season has just started so we will see if he is fit enough and we will see where it goes. This is the first round of Ranji Trophy that is going on. We will find out in a couple of more games," stated Agarkar while speaking at NDTV World Summit 2025.

Agarkar was firm on his opinion that a lot will bank on the 35-year-old's fitness as far as his return to international setup is concerned. He re-clarified that Shami was dropped for the Test series against Australia (2024/25) and England (2025) due to inadequate fitness.

"If he is bowling well, why would you not want to have someone like a Shami but what we have found in the last six-eight months to a year, even during the Australia tour, we were desperate to have him on, but unfortunately his fitness wasn't there. If he does stay fit over the next few months, the story might be different but at this point, as far as I know, he wasn't fit enough for that England tour," he added.

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India did not go ahead with Shami neither in the Asia Cup 2025, nor for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia. Shami is currently representing Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. At the end of Day 3 in Bengal's clash against Uttarakhand, Shami has registered figures of 3/37 in 14.5 overs (first innings) and 0/21 in 15 overs (second innings).