Mohammed Shami shuts selectors over fitness debate with his stunning seven-wicket haul in Ranji Trophy 2025-26, says "let Ajit Agarkar say what he wants to"

Mohammed Shami picked seven wickets in Bengal’s opener against Uttarakhand in Ranji Trophy 2025-26.

Indian Cricket Team pacer Mohammed Shami rocked the field with his bowling performance during his opening game for Bengal in Ranji Trophy 2025-26. The right-arm pacer captured a seven-wicket haul in the clash against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, leading his team to victory by eight wickets.

Abhimanyu Easwaran-led Bengal bundled out Uttarkhand for 213 runs and 265 runs across both innings, with Shami clinching a three-wicket haul in the first innings and a four-fer in the second innings. He helped Bengal to demolish Uttarakhand’s lower-order in the second innings and was adjudged Player of the Match for his incredible show.

With his performance, Shami has given a strong message to Indian selectors about his fitness. Recently, the senior Indian pacer was overlooked for the Australia tour over his fitness concerns. Shami has battled with recurring ankle and knee injuries post his surgery since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Mohammed Shami last played for India during ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in March

Shami last played for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final in March, where he finished as the team’s joint leading wicket-taker with Varun Chakravarthy. His last test match for India was the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final against Australia in June 2023.

Following his snub from India’s tour of Australia over fitness concerns by selectors, Shami targeted them by claiming that his presence in Duleep Trophy 2025 and Ranji Trophy 2025-26 proves his fitness. He also noted that he does not need to inform selectors about his fitness by calling them.

However, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar, while responding to Shami’s claims during a news channel event, reiterated that the 35-year-old has been battling fitness issues for the last few months. Otherwise, he would have been picked for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 and India’s tour of Australia 2025.

Furthermore, Agarkar also reckoned that Shami will be considered in future campaigns of Indian Cricket Team as he has been an incredible performer in the past. Following his marvellous start in Ranji Trophy 2025-26, Shami hit back at Agarkar during a chat with Sportstar, saying:

“Let him say whatever he (Agarkar) wants. You’ve seen how I bowled. It’s all in front of your eyes”.

Meanwhile, since the start of 2025, Shami has featured in seven ODIs for India, picking 11 scalps at an average of 30.63, including one five-wicket haul. He last played competitive cricket in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he showed a dismal form with six scalps across nine games at an economy of 11.23.

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