Ajit Agarkar reveals why Mohammed Shami got ruled out of England tour; hints at permanent retirement

India’s senior pacer, Mohammed Shami, has been dropped from the team for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20. However, Mohammed Shami’s poor form in the ongoing IPL 2025 was not the reason behind his snub from the Test squad.

On Saturday, May 24, the Indian chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, announced the 18-member squad for the upcoming crucial Test tour of England. India will have a new captain, Shubman Gill, and vice-captain, Rishabh Pant, on the tour as India begins the transition after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the longest format of the game.

Ajit Agarkar confirms fitness issues behind Mohammed Shami's Test snub

After making the crucial announcements, Ajit Agarkar has confirmed that Mohammed Shami has been officially declared unfit by the BCCI medical team for the England tour and that’s why he was not picked for the upcoming Test series, which will start the new WTC cycle.

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Agarkar revealed that the national selection committee had plans to pick the experienced fast bowler in the squad, but the feedback from the medical department forced them to leave him out. Shami, who has taken 229 wickets in 64 Tests, was last seen in whites in June 2023 against. Ever since returning from ankle surgery, Shami has struggled with fitness concerns.

Ajit Agarkar said at the press conference, “Shami is not 100% fit, recent MRIs have shown. He’s had a little bit of a setback over the past week; he got some MRIs done. Wasn’t going to be able to play five Tests. Don’t think his workload is where he needs to be. His workload is not where it needs to be. We were hoping he’ll play some part, but if he’s not fit, we’d rather pick guys fit and available rather than waiting. It is unfortunate. At the moment he is not fully fit.”

Read Also: "On what basis?" Twitter reacts to Rishabh Pant's vice-captain appointment for team India

Has Ajit Agarkar hinted at Mohammed Shami's Test retirement?

Adding to his comments while speaking about retired Indian players including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, Agarkar also pointed out that Shami will be a key miss along with these players on the England tour. Fans on social media picked this comment and stated that this might be a hint at Mohammed Shami retiring from Test cricket too.

Recently, Mohammed Shami revealed that he is working hard to get ready for India’s big Test series in England. The senior speedster shared that he’s been training intensely, focusing on building strength, bowling a lot in the nets, and carefully managing his workload.

Shami knows that red-ball cricket is tough and needs extra effort, so he’s increasing his training to meet the demands. The Bengal said that he is doing everything he can to be fully fit and make a strong comeback to show he is still one of India’s top fast bowlers.

Mohammed Shami fails to make impact in IPL 2025

His performances in the ongoing IPL 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad are far from his usual best. The Indian pacer has scalped only six wickets at an average of 56.16 and an economy rate of 11.23 in 13 group-stage matches so far in the tournament.

On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad, the runners-up of the last season, failed to replicate their last season’s performance and were eliminated from the tournament. SRH has won only five of their 13 games so far in the ongoing IPL 2025, with only one game washed out.

Sunrisers Hyderabad will play their final game of this season against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on May 25 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

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