Fast-bowler Mohammed Shami on Tuesday took a veiled dig at the selectors of the Indian team management for not choosing him for the white ball cricket. Shami said that selection is not in his hand and the best he could do was play. However, he added that as far as his fitness is concerned, if he can play a 4-day Ranji match then why not a 50-over One-Day International (ODI) match.

Shami is not part of the Indian team that will be playing a 3-match ODI and a 5-match T20I series against Australia starting October 19.

“I have said this before… Selection is not in my hands. If there is a fitness issue, I shouldn’t be here playing for Bengal,” Shami told reporters on the eve of Bengal’s Ranji opener against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens.

“I think I do not need to speak on this and create a controversy. If I can play four-dayers (Ranji Trophy), I can also play 50-overs cricket,” he added, when asked about not being selected for India’s limited-overs squad.

for the Australian tour beginning on October 19.

After WI, Shami benched for Australia tour

Mohammed Shami was not part of the Indian team against the West Indies test series, reportedly due to fitness concerns. Prior to that, he was not selected for the England tour as well. He last played for India in Champions Trophy in UAE earlier this year.

In the presser where chief selector Ajit Agarkar informed about the team, he did not mention any fitness issues when asked about Shami. However, some reports said it was due to his fitness as Shami just didn’t have enough cricket under his belt.

The 35-year-old has said that he was not informed of any reason so far over the selection issue.

“I have no update. He has played in the Duleep trophy. But in the last two-three years, he hasn’t played a lot of cricket. I think he played one game for Bengal and one in the Duleep trophy. As a performer, we know what he can do, but he has to play cricket,” Agarkar had said during the press conference.

India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India’s T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.