"Can’t please everyone": Ajit Agarkar breaks silence on "unfit" Mohammed Shami’s explosive rant
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BCCI's Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar has dropped a major statement referring to Mohammad Shami's rant after being snubbed of a chance to feature for India in the upcoming tour to Australia, despite his promising record and years of experience in the country.
The current BCCI Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar, has had to face the grind on multiple occasions when he was criticized for his controversial selections. One of the most severe criticisms came after Shreyas Iyer was snubbed from the Asia Cup squad.
However, the snub of Mohammed Shami has not been voiced by former cricketers or fans, but it seemed to have been the headache of the player for sure. He has claimed in multiple social media posts and interviews that he is one hundred percent fit and has only been wrongfully snubbed.
Ajit Agarkar claims the Chief Selector job to be the most challenging in his life
While speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2025, the BCCI Chief selector was asked about his experience in his career since he has served as a player, a commentator, and now a Chief selector as well. He was asked to compare the three, to which Agarkar easily admitted that the biggest challenge has been the selector's job, while the playing days were very satisfactory.
"I will probably go with the easier one first. Being a commentator, and I mean no disrespect, you still work hard, spend hours on the ground. As long as you get the right words out, your job as a commentator is done," Agarkar said at NDTV World Summit 2025.
"Playing gives you the most satisfaction. Every time you step on the field, you know your job is on the line. One thing that goes for you as a player is that the ball or bat is in your hand. As a selector, once you pick a squad of 15, there is nothing else in your hand. It is a challenging, hectic, high-demand job. You can't please everyone," he added.
"The sport is so popular in India that there will be people who will be critical of your decisions" - Ajit Agarkar
Ajit Agarkar went on to add further to prove his claim; he reflected on the fact that the baggage comes along when someone takes up such a crucial job as the BCCI's Chief selector.
"Having so many players to pick from is a good problem to have. It improves the competition levels, and the performance levels stay high. The sport is so popular in India that there will be people who will be critical of your decisions. The fanbases have increased multiple times over the last few years."
The Selector was also asked if he considers taking note of social media criticism and trends. Agarkar said, "I don't. It is a no-win situation. We watch a lot of cricket through the course of the year."
"If he were fit, he would have been on the plane" - Ajit Agarkar's massive claim regarding Mohammed Shami's fitness
After Mohammed Shami's ruthless attack on the BCCI selector, he took a jibe at the pacer at the NDTV World Summit 2025. Ajit Agarkar said that had the player been fit, he would have been in the team as well. This was similar to the statement made ahead of the England tour.
"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 all the 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," said Agarkar.
"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 the plane. Unfortunately, he wasn't and our domestic season has just started," he added.
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India National Cricket Team Ajit Agarkar Mohammad Shami BCCI India tour of Australia India vs Australia
