Ravichandran Ashwin gets involved in Mohammed Shami vs Ajit Agarkar fight
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While Ravichandran Ashwin has praised Ajit Agarkar for smoothly handling the persistence shown by Mohammed Shami, he took a sharp dig at the BCCI's practice of not giving clarity to players over its decisions and the practice of 'indirect speech’.
The Indian national team has been facing some opposition in the form of their own players, after many have been snubbed from selection without any proper explanation. One of the most prominent among the controversies has been Mohammed Shami's vile take on Indian Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar.
While Agarkar has repeatedly claimed that Shami has not been at the top of his fitness and will be picked into the team once he makes a comeback with full-fledged fitness. Shami has however, denied such claims and proved his fitness over and over again.
"Everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech," said Ravichandran Ashwin
Legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has retired from the game, but never fails to present his opinion on the game from his YouTube channel. Recently, he said that Indian cricket has a massive issue that needs to be resolved.
He clarified that everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech, referring to the recent outburst of Champions Trophy-winning pacer Mohammed Shami. He has urged the BCCI to voice its thoughts and plans clearly to the players.
“I will say one thing frankly, everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech. I really wish that it would change. It has to change from both the players’ side and the selectors’ side as well," Ravichandran Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“But why is he (Shami) talking all of this?" - Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin further added that such outbursts come out of a lack of clarity on any issue, and Shami too doesn't seem to have immense clarity over his position in the Indian team.
“What I have noticed is that if something indirect is said, it is bound to come out in the news. Look what Shami did. He performed and then talked in the press conference; there is nothing wrong with that. But why is he (Shami) talking all of this? Because he doesn’t have clarity," Ravichandran Ashwin said.
However, despite having pointed out Shami's lack of clarity, he went on to praise Ajit Agarkar, who suggested clarifying the matter after having a word with Shami over a phone call.
“But, at the same time, I really loved how Ajit Agarkar handled it. I really hope that phone call has happened," Ashwin added.
Will Mohammed Shami be considered for selection after a strong Ranji Trophy comeback?
Mohammed Shami last turned out to play in India colors back during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where he picked 9 wickets, the joint highest for India alongside Varun Chakravarthy. Since then, the bowler has been kept out by injuries as well as a poor IPL season.
He recently made his comeback to the game with the first round of the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. He picked 7 wickets across both innings and powered Bengal to a promising eight-wicket victory over Uttarakhand. Shami registered figures of 3/37 and 4/38 in the game.
After such a commendable performance, the pressure is now back on the Indian selectors ahead of the selection for the upcoming home series against South Africa. The 35-year-old is back in contention for a spot in the national side.
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Ravichandran Ashwin Ajit Agarkar Mohammed Shami India National Cricket Team BCCI India vs Australia
