Mohammed Shami Retires From Test Cricket: 229 Wickets, Best Moments and What Comes Next

Mohammed Shami has retired from Test cricket. The India fast bowler announced the decision in a video on Instagram on Friday, 6 November, exactly 13 years after his Test debut. Shami, 36, finishes with 229 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 27.71. He is not leaving the game: he remains available for white-ball cricket and will keep playing in the IPL and for Bengal.

A farewell on his debut anniversary

In the video, Shami looked back on a career that took him from a small town in Uttar Pradesh to the top of world cricket, and spoke about the injuries he fought through to keep coming back. "This cap, this ball, made me Mohammed Shami," he said. He thanked his coaches, trainers, physios and the fans who supported him.

His last Test was the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023, which India lost. Nobody knew at the time that it would be his final Test. Injuries kept him out for long spells after that, and he has not played for India in any format since the Champions Trophy final in March 2025. In May 2025, when reports said he was about to retire from Tests, he publicly dismissed them. The announcement has now come about 18 months later.

Shami's Test career in numbers

Tests: 64, from November 2013 to June 2023
Wickets: 229 at an average of 27.71, one every 50 balls or so
Five-wicket hauls: 6, with a best of 6 for 56
Debut: 9 for 118 against West Indies at Eden Gardens, the most by an Indian fast bowler on Test debut
Batting: 750 runs, with two fifties and a highest score of 56 not out

Among India's fast bowlers, only five have taken more Test wickets.

The moments fans will remember

A debut to remember, 2013. Playing at Eden Gardens, the ground of his adopted state, Bengal, he took 4 for 71 and 5 for 47 against West Indies in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series.
The broken stump, 2016. In Visakhapatnam, during India's 4-0 series win over England, he bowled Alastair Cook with a delivery that snapped the off stump in two. It became one of the defining images of his pace.
100 wickets in 29 Tests. He reached the milestone in just his 29th Test.
The Lord's fifty, 2021. With India in trouble in the second innings, Shami made 56 not out and added an unbroken 89 with Jasprit Bumrah. India then bowled England out to win by 151 runs.
200 at Centurion, 2021. His 5 for 44 in the first Test against South Africa made him only the fifth Indian fast bowler to 200 Test wickets, and the quickest of them in balls bowled.

Shami was at his most dangerous with an old ball and a straight seam. Nearly half of his Test wickets were bowled or lbw, and he was often more threatening in the second innings than the first, when pitches started to break up.

From Sahaspur to the India Test team

Shami was born in Amroha district in Uttar Pradesh and grew up in the village of Sahaspur. As a teenager he trained under coach Badruddin Siddique in Moradabad, then moved to Kolkata to look for more opportunities. He made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bengal in 2010 and still plays for them.

What comes next

Shami has 206 wickets in 108 ODIs, and was the leading wicket-taker at the 2023 World Cup. He is in Bengal's squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which starts on 14 November, and plays for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. Stepping away from Tests means he can focus on staying fit for the shorter formats.

For fantasy players, that is worth remembering. A wicket-taking seamer who bowls in the powerplay and at the death can score big points in T20 cricket, so keep an eye on Shami's form for Bengal and in IPL 2027.