Likho, it’s your job: Shami sends message to fitness critics through reporters
Mohammed Shami appears to have had enough of the questions surrounding his fitness and a possible India comeback. The Bengal fast bowler let his performance do the talking on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season, claiming four wickets in the first innings against Delhi in Kalyani before delivering a pointed message to those questioning his readiness.
“You people can see and write. It’s your job, right?” Shami told reporters when asked what he wanted to say to his critics.
“You can see my fitness. Write it. You are watching me. What will happen if I say it? I am on the ground. I am playing. I am playing wherever I can. My job is to just keep bowling,” he added.
The 36-year-old returned figures of 4 for 30 from 17.3 overs, including nine maidens, as Bengal bowled Delhi out for 240 on Sunday. Shami dismissed middle-order batters Yash Dhull and Ayush Doseja before removing Hrithik Shokeen, Delhi’s lone half-centurion, and wrapping up the innings by rattling Divij Mehra’s stumps.
Shami bowled more overs than any of Bengal’s other frontline seamers. Akash Deep sent down 17 overs for two wickets, while Mukesh Kumar bowled 17 overs and claimed one. Shami’s economy rate of 1.71 was the best among them.
“I don’t feel any change. People express their opinions all the time. I have heard people saying I don’t have the rhythm and fitness. I don’t care about all this, and I enjoy my game,” he said.
Asked how he continued to trouble batters with movement in both directions, Shami offered a reminder of the experience behind his craft.
“You should have the smartness to know when to make the ball move in and out. It’s inbuilt,” he said.
The questions around Shami’s fitness have followed him through repeated omissions from India’s squads. He last represented the country in the Champions Trophy final in March 2025, after which he was overlooked for several international assignments despite continuing to play domestic cricket.
The debate intensified in September and October 2025, when then chief selector Ajit Agarkar cited a lack of clarity over Shami’s fitness and match readiness following his absence from India’s squads. Shami pushed back, arguing that his availability for Bengal demonstrated that he was fit to play. In May 2026, Agarkar said there had been no discussion about Shami’s return to Test cricket, adding that, according to the information available to the selectors, his body was allowing him to play T20 cricket at that stage.
Agarkar’s tenure as chief selector ended earlier this month, but the questions around Shami’s international future remain. The pacer, meanwhile, has continued to make his case on the field.
Last season, he claimed 37 wickets in seven Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal at an average of 16.72, including three five-wicket hauls. His latest performance is another reminder of his value to the domestic side, even as an India recall remains elusive.
For now, Shami’s message was straightforward: he is playing, bowling and enjoying his cricket. Whether that will be enough to bring him back into India’s plans remains to be seen.
– Ends
