Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday, 6 November, exactly 13 years after he made his debut in the format. The 36-year-old fast bowler said he would keep playing white-ball cricket, but his red-ball career for India is over after 64 Tests and 229 wickets.
Shami made the announcement in a video message posted on social media, holding up his Test cap as he spoke. “I got this cap on 6th November, and today is 6th November. So, let’s end this 13-year journey here today,” he said. “I made my debut today, and today I am taking retirement.” In a written post, he added: “Today, with a heavy heart and countless beautiful memories, I am taking the decision to retire from Test cricket.” He thanked the BCCI and the Cricket Association of Bengal for their support.
Mohammed Shami made his Test debut against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 6 November 2013, during Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series. The date stayed with him, and he chose the same date to close the career. He played 64 Tests over the next decade, and his last appearance came in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023, where he took four wickets in the match.
The figures behind the career place Mohammed Shami among India’s most productive fast bowlers. He took 229 wickets at an average of 27.71, with a strike rate of 50.2 and six five-wicket hauls. He finished as India’s 12th highest wicket-taker in Tests and sixth among fast bowlers. Only five Indian fast bowlers have taken more Test wickets than him. His strength was seam movement off the pitch and reverse swing with the older ball, and he often broke partnerships in spells when the match had gone quiet.
Mohammed Shami and the long wait for a recall
The last three years of the career were shaped by injury and waiting. After the 2023 ODI World Cup, Mohammed Shami spent more than a year out of the game, and he worked his way back through domestic cricket before returning to India’s white-ball side for the Champions Trophy in early 2025. He took nine wickets in that tournament as India won the title, but a Test recall never came. His last appearance in any form for India was the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March 2025, and he was not picked for the tour of New Zealand that began this week.
Shami kept pushing his case in domestic cricket while he waited. He played for Bengal through the season, and his form in the longer domestic game stayed strong even as the international door stayed shut. The selectors looked elsewhere for the New Zealand tour, and the announcement on Friday closed a question that had hung over Indian cricket for more than two years.
Mohammed Shami keeps playing domestic cricket
While the Test door stayed shut, Mohammed Shami kept bowling in domestic cricket for Bengal. He took 14 wickets in three matches in the Ranji Trophy this season and seven wickets in three matches for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy. On Friday, he was named in Bengal’s 19-member squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which keeps his white-ball season going.
What comes next for Mohammed Shami
The retirement covers Test cricket only. Mohammed Shami said he would keep playing white-ball cricket, in the Indian Premier League and in domestic cricket, and he would also play first-class cricket if it helped his fitness. He plays for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and all 10 franchises must tell the league which players they will keep and which they will release by 17 November, ahead of the 2027 auction.
Shami’s Test career began and ended on 6 November, 13 years apart. He was named in Bengal’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on the same day he announced his retirement, and his next cricket will be in Bengal colours.