After a few trial and errors it seems I have misunderstood the hierarchy of the selector
and item
.
The following works perfectly.
<ripple xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:color="@color/primary_light">
<item android:id="@android:id/mask">
<shape android:shape="oval">
<solid android:color="@android:color/white"/>
<size android:height="80dp" android:width="80dp"/>
</shape>
</item>
</ripple>