Mohammed Shami, a bowler for India, recently made fun of the BCCI selectors for not include him in the team's white-ball trip of Australia. The fast bowler claimed that his participation in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal demonstrated his fitness and that it was not his responsibility to inform the selection committee of this. After the 2023 World Cup, Shami, who last played for India in the Champions Trophy victory and finished as the nation's leading wicket-taker with Varun Chakravarthy, had to have surgery to treat recurrent knee and ankle ailments.

After playing in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023, the 35-year-old bowler has been absent from the Indian Test team for over a year.

At the NDTV World Summit, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar responded to Shami's remark by stating that, had he been healthy, the player would have been on the squad.

"I'll probably respond if he says that to me. I mean, I would probably do it if he were here. What he said on social media is unclear to me. I might call him if I read that, but with most players, my phone is always on. Over the past few months, I've spoken with him several times, but I don't want to attempt to make a headline here," Agarka added.
"He has performed brilliantly for India. Perhaps we could have a chat if he said something, or he could have a conversation with me. However, we stated even before England that he would have been on that plane if he had been healthy. But he wasn't, sadly. Since our domestic season has barely begun, we will assess his level of fitness and monitor the situation. The Ranji games are currently in their first round. In a few more games, we shall find out.

Why wouldn't you want someone like a Shami if he's bowling well? However, during the past six to eight months to a year, we have discovered that, despite our best efforts to have him on during the Australia trip, his fitness was lacking. The narrative may change if he maintains his fitness level over the next months. However, he wasn't fit enough for that England tour at this point, as far as I could tell," he continued.India will begin a five-match T20I series and three ODIs in Australia on October 19. Veteran players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be back in the national colours for the series.