England leg-spinner Adil Rashid has hit back at Michael Vaughan who had criticised the selectors' decision to recall him in the Test squad, saying the former captain's comments were "stupid" and "do not matter".
Rashid's inclusion to the Test squad for the home series against India has brought sharp reactions from ex-players with Vaughan terming it as "ridiculous".
Vaughan had questioned the decision of the England selectors, saying that someone who does not want to play the longer format has been rewarded with a Test spot on the basis of his recent limited overs form.
The 30-year-old Rashid was chosen for the Test series against India starting on August 1 despite signing a white-ball only contract with Yorkshire for the 2018 season.
Rashid said Vaughan's comments about his recall to the Test squad was a kind of nonsense being spoken by ex-players.
"He (Vaughan) can say a lot and he thinks people might listen. A lot of people have got no interest in what he says. His opinions do not matter to anybody. When I mentioned at the start of the year I will not be playing red-ball cricket, he tweeted something then. He was being controversial and saying his stupid things then too," Rashid was quoted as saying by 'BBC Sport'.
"I don't think he has an agenda against me. I played under and with him but sometimes ex-players come out and start talking nonsense about current players. If he wants to carry on talking just because he is bored with nothing better to say, then that is his choice. There will be people out there who are not happy. There will be haters, like the pundits who are saying it is a disgrace. That is not my fault."
Rashid has taken 38 wickets at an average of 42.78 in 10 Tests for England, the most recent of which came in India in December 2016.
In February, he signed a contract with Yorkshire to play only limited-overs cricket in 2018. He has not played a first-class match since September 2017.
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