NEW DELHI: BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday dismissed any talk of a near-term return for Mohammed Shami to Test cricket, saying the fast bowler is currently \u201cready for T20 cricket\u201d even after completing a full domestic campaign. Agarkar\u2019s remarks came after the BCCI unveiled India\u2019s squads for a one-off Test and a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, with the matches set to take place in India in June. Shami, who has worked his way back through domestic cricket, was left out of both squads.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters, Agarkar said there had been no deliberations about Shami resuming Test duties. He added that, based on the information available, Shami\u2019s current condition aligns more with the demands of the shortest format.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo (discussions on Shami\u2019s Test return). As far as we have been told that at this point\u2026 his body is allowing him to (play), I know he has played a domestic season this year. But from the information I have got, it\u2019s T20 cricket that he\u2019s sort of ready for. So there was no discussion regarding him,\u201d Agarkar said.<\/p>\n
The 35-year-old has been away from India\u2019s international fold for over a year, but has returned to competitive action and delivered a productive Ranji Trophy season for Bengal. His wicket tally included a standout spell in the Ranji Trophy semi-final.<\/p>\n
Agarkar\u2019s comments also followed a reminder of Shami\u2019s most recent outings for India in different formats.<\/p>\n
While Shami has found form in franchise cricket, the selectors have still not included him in India\u2019s upcoming international squads. In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, he began promisingly but has not been able to sustain a steady rhythm.<\/p>\n
For the Afghanistan one-off Test, India\u2019s squad will be captained by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul stepping in as vice-captain in place of Rishabh Pant. Ravindra Jadeja has been rested for the Test. Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey have earned spots in the playing squad.<\/p>\n
NEW DELHI: BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar on Tuesday dismissed any talk of a near-term return for Mohammed Shami to Test cricket, saying the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Ajit Agarkar on Shami: Why he missed Afghanistan Test","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Ajit Agarkar reveals why Mohammed Shami won\u2019t play the Afghanistan Test, stating he\u2019s ready for T20 cricket after a successful domestic comeback.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n