India pacer Mohammed Shami had recently taken a dig at the BCCI selectors for snubbing him from the team’s white-ball tour of Australia. The fast bowler said that his availability for Bengal in Ranji Trophy proves he is fit and it is not his job to update the selection panel on this. Shami, who last represented India in the Champions Trophy triumph and finished as the country’s top wicket-taker alongside Varun Chakravarthy, has battled recurring ankle and knee injuries that required surgery after the 2023 World Cup.

The 35-year-old bowler has not been a part of the Indian Test side for a while, having last played in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023.

While reacting to the comment made by Shami, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar said at News World Summit that the player would have been in the team, had he been fit.

“If he says that to me, I will probably answer that. I mean if he was here, I would probably do that. I am not quite sure what he said on social media. Maybe if I read that, I might give him a call but my phone is always on for all the players. I have had multiple chats with him over the last few months, but I don’t want to try and give you a headline here,” said Agarkar.

“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 the plane. Unfortunately, he wasn’t and our domestic season has just started,” he added.