Revolt in Indian cricket, Ajit Agarkar openly cornered
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Bengal Head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla has been attacking Ajit Agarkar ever since Mohammed Shami proved how much cricket is still left in him with back-to-back Player of the Match awards in the Ranji Trophy.
Having recovered from his ankle injury, Mohammed Shami has constantly been sidelined from the Indian side, citing several reasons for the snub. However, his omission from the Australia tour seemed to have affected him, as he has made attempts to make a notable push for his return to the Indian team.
After the disagreement with Indian national selector Ajit Agarkar, Shami has proved his worth on the back of commendable performances in the ongoing two rounds of the Ranji Trophy. He has said that he still believes that he has much cricket left within him, and he will continue with the hard work.
“Mohammed Shami doesn’t need a certificate from anyone" - Bengal coach takes a dig at Ajit Agarkar
When Mohammed Shami gave a stern reply to his critics with a dominating show in the Ranji Trophy, his team coach, Laxmin Ratan Shukla, took a direct dig at Indian Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, claiming that Shami doesn't need validations to prove how good a pacer he is or how much more cricket is left for him.
Mohammed Shami is undoubtedly one of India's finest bowlers in the game, with 400+ wickets in his career and the most wickets for the Men in Blue in ICC tournaments as well as the World Cups. He is not short of records to be retained in the Indian team.
“Mohammed Shami doesn’t need a certificate from anyone. He is a certificate in himself. He has the backing of his fans, media, and the biggest selector of them all, who is right up there (God),” Shukla said after the game, in what was seen as an indirect jibe at BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.
Will the Eden Gardens factor propel Shami's comeback for India in the South Africa Tests?
This game marked Mohammed Shami's return to the Eden Gardens and his first five-wicket haul in red-ball cricket since 2021. His previous five-for came against South Africa in 2021. With 8 wickets in the game and so far 15 wickets in 2 matches for Shami, he has set a strong candidature for the upcoming South Africa Tests.
The first Test between India and South Africa will be played at Eden Gardens, and Mohammed Shami can have the upper hand this time to make his much-awaited India comeback. His last two bowling figures at Eden Gardens are 3-44 and 5-38, though the final decision still remains in the hands of Ajit Agarkar.
CSK batter showed some stunning resistance for Gujarat, as Bengal crushed them in a promising win
Gujarat team needed 327 runs to win the game, but were restricted to just 185 runs, and Shami played the major role for Bengal with a match-winning five-wicket haul and was named the Player of the Match as well.
However, only Gujarat batter who showed some resistance and contributed to the majority of those 185 runs was CSK star Urvil Patel, who was picked by the Super Kings during the final phase of the IPL 2025 at the back of his commendable show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Urvil Patel, who also scored a handful of runs for CSK last season, top-scored with 109*. Urvil will remain a crucial player in the Men in Yellow camp, especially after they have shown no further interest in the Sanju Samson deal.
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Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Bengal Cricket Team Ajit Agarkar Mohammed Shami Laxmi Ratan Shukla Ranji Trophy
