Mohammed Shami retires from Test cricket: 229 wickets

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday (6 November), the 13th anniversary of his Test debut, ending a career in which he took 229 wickets in 64 matches at an average of 27.71.

The 36-year-old posted a video on Instagram from the anniversary of the day he received his Test cap. "I got this [his Test cap] on 6th November, and today is 6th November. So, let's end this 13-year journey here today. I made my debut today, and today I am taking retirement," he said, as transcribed by ESPNcricinfo.

"I am leaving this, but I will continue to play white-ball cricket, whether it is IPL or domestic," Shami added in the same video. In a separate Instagram caption quoted by The Hindu and Indian Express, he wrote that he was bidding farewell to the white jersey "but never to the memories connected to it," and that Test cricket had been "a very special part of my life."

Shami debuted against West Indies at Eden Gardens on 6 November 2013 and took nine wickets in the match. He finished with six five-wicket hauls; ESPNcricinfo ranks him just outside India’s top five Test fast bowlers by wickets. His last Test for India was the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval. He has not played international cricket since India’s Champions Trophy final win in March 2025.

He continues to turn out for Bengal in domestic cricket and remains available for white-ball selection; he has been named in Bengal’s squad for the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In the IPL he plays for Lucknow Super Giants.