Ajit Agarkar has set the record straight on Mohammed Shami’s absence from the national squad, blaming it on his fitness, while also clarifying that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were “not on trial” ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Shami, on the eve of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens, had expressed anguish at not being considered for the national team, stating that if he is fit for the Ranji Trophy, he might as well have also played 50-overs cricket. The fast bowler tersely replied that it was not just his responsibility to give an update on his fitness to the selectors.
Speaking at NDTV’s World Summit on Friday, the chief selector chose to respond to Shami’s comments.
“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 most 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,” Agarkar said.
“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 where it goes. This is the first round of Ranji games that is going on. We will find out in a couple of more games. If he is bowling well, why would you not want to have someone like 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,” Agarkar said.
Shami wasn’t perturbed by Agarkar’s statement. “Usko jo bolna hai bolne do... (Let him say whatever he wants),” Shami said after the third day’s play at the Eden. “You’ve seen how I bowled. It’s all in front of your eyes.”
Duo ‘not on trial’
On Rohit and Kohli, Agarkar pointed out that, considering their achievements, the duo will not be “put to the test” in every match they play from now on.
“They are part of the squad at the moment in Australia. They are incredible players for a long period of time, but it is not the forum to harp on individual players. You want to focus on the team and what it wants to achieve. Two years from now, we don’t know what the situation is going to be. Why them two, it could be some other younger players (who could miss out)!” Agarkar said.
“It would be silly (to put them to the test in every ODI series they play) when one averages over 50 and the other close to 50. So you are not going to put them on trial for every game... 2027 is a long way away. Both play one format and are playing after seven months. Once you start playing, you assess as you go forward. They are not on trial.
“They have achieved a lot, not in terms of winning trophies but runs. It is not like if they don’t score enough runs or score three hundreds in the Australia series, they will play the World Cup in 2027. We will see how the team shapes up and we will assess the situation accordingly. We have some ideas and, as we go along, we will have a better idea of how the team is progressing,” Agarkar said.
Agarkar also claimed that it was Kohli and Rohit who had decided to quit Test cricket and the selectors would have been happy to have their experience in England.
However, he stopped short of confirming that the selectors had actively tried to convince them to delay retirement but hinted that discussions may have taken place behind the scenes.