“But why is he talking all of this?” - R Ashwin’s massive statement on Shami-Agarkar spat amid AUS vs IND 2025 ODIs

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin cited a lack of clarity as the main reason behind the ongoing war of words between veteran pacer Mohammad Shami and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The right-arm seamer was not included in the squad for the Australia tour, as the selection committee continued to question his fitness.

Ajit Agarkar mentioned during the squad selection press conference that he is unaware of Shami's current fitness status after not being considered for the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar trophy in England. The pacer, in turn, responded by claiming that he has played in the 2025 Duleep Trophy and is about to feature in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy for Bengal as well.

The feud took a turn for the worse as Agarkar continued to question Shami's fitness and rhythm, while revealing that he will stage talks soon to resolve the conflict. The veteran, however, was not satisfied with the response, and told reporters that, 'he can say whatever he wants', midway through Bengal's clash against Uttarakhand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Ashwin offered his opinion regarding the entire saga while demanding a better way and channel of communication so that players are not inclined to make comments to the press.

"I will say one thing frankly, everything in Indian cricket runs on indirect speech. I really wish that it changes. It has to change from both the players' side and the selectors' side as well. 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 talking all of this? Because he does not have clarity. But, at the same time, I really loved how Ajit Agarkar handled it. I really hope that phone call has happened," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The seasoned campaigner last featured for India in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where he was the sole frontline pacer in the playing XI. Following that, he had a dismal 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he picked only six wickets in nine appearances.

Mohammad Shami picked up seven wickets in 2025-26 Ranji Trophy opener to make a massive statement

The pacer bagged figures of 3-37 and 4-38 in the first and the second innings, respectively, in Bengal's eight-wicket win against Uttarakhand. Shami was also named the player of the match for his efforts.

The Abhimanyu Easwaran-led side are next scheduled to face Gujarat from Saturday, October 25, onwards.