Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is at the centre of retirement rumours after his teammates Ravichandran Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara officially announced their retirement from the game. However, the 34-year-old has dismissed all the rumours regarding a potential retirement anytime soon, as he is now completely focused on delivering in domestic competitions to make a comeback into the Indian team.
Mohammed Shami was last seen in the Indian team during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where he was India’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament. However, during IPL 2025, Shami faced injury setbacks as he missed a notable number of matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad..
Shami’s Injury Woes and IPL Struggles Lead to National Team Snub
In the matches he started, Shami barely took the field after completing his quota of four overs. His underpar performance in the IPL led to him being dropped from the Test squad for the England tour, and he was also overlooked for the Asia Cup squad.
In the meantime, speculations have been raised regarding the retirement of the 34-year-old. Shami cleared the rumour regarding his retirement call:
"If someone has a problem, tell me. Whose life will become better if I take retirement?" Shami told News24. "Mai kiski zindagi mein patthar bana hua hu ki tumhe mujhse retirement chahiye? The day I get bored, I will leave. You don't pick me, don't play me, I don't care. But I will keep working hard."
Shami Brushes Off Retirement Talk, Focused on Domestic Comeback and Fitness
Mohammed Shami also insisted and sarcastically commented that he’ll work hard in domestic competitions and will take a retirement call only when he feels bored:
"You don't pick me in internationals, I will play domestic. I will keep playing somewhere or the other. Retirement and such decisions are made when you start feeling bored, when you don't want to wake up at 7 am for a Test."
He then gave an update on his fitness ahead of the domestic season:
"Touchwood, it is better now. I have trained, increased my skills, practiced batting, fielding, gym work, everything. My focus is on getting rhythm and being able to bowl long spells," he explained.
Despite recent injury setbacks, Shami is motivated to make a comeback and stressed that he’ll keep fighting:
"I still love the game. The day I lose that drive, I'll walk away myself. Until then, I will keep fighting," Shami concluded.
