Pacer Mohammed Shami breaks silence on Australia tour snub, shares fitness update
Team India pacer Mohammed Shami has broken his silence on his snub from the Australia tour. The fast bowler has revealed that he is currently fit and available for selection
New Delhi: Team India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has broken his silence after being dropped from the white-ball tour against Australia. The Ajit Agarkar-led men’s selection committee did not pick Shami in the ODI and T20I squads against Australia, nor was he included in the team for the two-match Test series against the West Indies.
Shami last played for India in the Champions Trophy 2025, opened up about his selection snub and put an end to all the speculations. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shami revealed that he has received a lot of questions about his fitness. Earlier, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had stated that Shami was not in contention for Team India because he has not played enough domestic cricket.
Shami said that getting selected in the Indian team is not in his hands, it's the job of the selection committee, coach and captain.
"If they feel I should be there, they will select me, or if they feel that I need more time, it’s their call. I am ready to play if I am called up,” Shami said on his YouTube channel.
'My fitness is also good'
Speaking about his fitness, the fast bowler said that he is feeling good and bowling in his usual rhythm. Shami last played for the East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, where he bowled a total of 34 overs. He said it was important for him to remain motivated while being away from the team, and he is working to get into even better shape for Team India.
"My fitness is also good. I will try to do better because when you are away from the ground, you need to remain motivated," he added.
The pacer will return to red-ball cricket with the Bengal team for the upcoming Ranji Trophy. Shami will be leading the team’s bowling attack, which also includes Akash Deep and Ishan Porel.
Bengal squad for Ranji Trophy: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Abishek Porel (VC/WK), Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Sumanta Gupta, Saurabh Kr Singh, Vishal Bhati, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (WK), Ishan Porel, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Rahul Prasad, Sumit Mohanta, Vikash Singh.