Mohammed Shami has reacted to remarks from chief selector Ajit Agarkar about his fitness, following an impressive performance for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand. The issue started when Shami was left out of India’s ODI team for the Australia series, which caused a disagreement between him and the chief selector.

“Let him talk as much as he wants, you’ve all seen how I bowled. The evidence is right in front of you,” Shami said.

On Friday, Agarkar stated that Shami could be considered for selection once he clears the required fitness tests.

“If Shami was here, I’d answer that. If he’s fit, why wouldn’t we pick a bowler like Shami?” Agarkar said.

“I’ve spoken to him several times. Over the past six to eight months, we’ve seen that he hasn’t been fully fit. If he can maintain his fitness in the coming months, things could change, but he wasn’t fit enough to be selected for the England tour,” Agarkar added.

Mohammed Shami’s Ranji Trophy stats

90 – Matches
340 – Wickets
7/79 – BBI
11/151 – BBM
27.31 – Bowling Average
12 – Five-Wicket Hauls
2 – Ten-Wicket Match Hauls

Shami made a strong statement in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy opener, producing a match-changing spell. He ended Uttarakhand’s first innings with three wickets in one over, putting Bengal in front on the scoreboard. The veteran pacer continued to shine in the second innings, taking four more wickets, including the dismissal of captain Kunal Chandela (72), Abhay Negi, Janmejay Joshi, and Rajan Kumar.