'Goodbye white jersey', says Mohammed Shami on retiring from Test cricket

Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has announced his retirement from Test cricket. Shami announced his retirement by releasing a video on the night of 6 November.

Interestingly, he made his Test debut against West Indies on 6 November 2013.

Announcing his retirement, Mohammed Shami wrote on social media platform X, "I am saying goodbye to the white jersey, but never to the memories associated with it."

He also thanked all the people who supported him in this journey.

BCCI wrote on Twitter, "Thank you for defining an entire era of Indian fast bowling. Test cap number 279 for India."

Shami's journey in the Test format lasted 12 years and he played 64 Test matches for India and took 229 wickets.

Some were surprised by Shami's decision and wished him all the best.

India's bowling coach Morne Morkel has recalled those moments when they were together.

According to news agency ANI, Morkel said that "he helped me a lot in dressing."

what did shami say

36-year-old Shami is out of the Indian team since the 2025 Champions Trophy.

He wrote in his post on

"Test cricket is not just a format for me, but has been a very special part of my life. Today with a heavy heart and countless beautiful memories, I have decided to retire from Test cricket."

He thanked all his teammates, coaches, family members and the crores of Indians who stood by him in good and difficult times and kept his faith.

He also thanked BCCI and Cricket Association of Bengal.

Shami said, "He believed in my talent, gave me opportunities to grow and played an important role in my cricket career. Your support and trust will always be special to me. Even though my last ball in Test cricket has already been bowled on the field, the pride of representing India will always be alive in my heart."

He said that he will continue to play white-ball cricket.

'Master of seam and swing'

Sports commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on

"When nothing seemed to be happening in the game, he would sometimes swing the ball inwards using the seam, and sometimes make it out to the outside, dodging the batsman. He was a player who bowled based on the basic principles of seam and swing bowling."

"Well played, Mohammed Shami. Had fun. All the best to you in white-ball cricket. Hopefully you will pass on these basic principles of bowling to many young players who want to follow in your footsteps."

Cricket journalist Vimal Kumar wrote in a post on

"He may have felt that New Zealand's seam and swing conditions were his last hope. But when he was not selected in the Test team for this tour, it must have been a practical decision for him to take."

Vimal Kumar has written, "Remember, in the year 2022, Andy Roberts had described him as a slightly better bowler than Bumrah considering his extraordinary ability to use his wrist."

Memorable performances of Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami has been one of India's most reliable fast bowlers in many big tournaments. He is an expert in seaming and swinging with the new and old ball. He has given many brilliant performances in big matches.

In the 2015 ODI World Cup held in Australia, Shami took 17 wickets at an average of 17.29. In India's journey to the semi-finals in 2019, he took 14 wickets at an average of 13.78.

In the World Cup held in India in the year 2023, he performed brilliantly and took 24 wickets at an average of 10.70, even though he did not play in the first four matches of the team.

In his first 6 matches, he took 5, 4, 5, 2, 0 and 7 i.e. a total of 23 wickets. Mohammed Shami created a new record by taking seven wickets for New Zealand in the semi-finals.

It is not that his performance in Test cricket has been weak. In his first 12 years in this format, he took more than 10 wickets ten times in series of three or more matches.

He took 131 wickets in 35 Test matches played in India, South Africa and West Indies.

worried about injury

It is believed that if Shami's career had not been repeatedly affected due to injuries, he could have performed better.

His biggest injury occurred after his brilliant performance in the 2023 World Cup. Due to a heel injury, he remained out of all formats of cricket for more than a year.

In the 2025 Champions Trophy, he made a brilliant comeback by taking 9 wickets in five matches, but by then he was out of Test cricket for more than 18 months.

His age was also around 35 years. In such a situation, it seemed that his time in Test cricket was over.

Great performance in the very first match against Pakistan

According to a report published in BBC in the year 2023, Mohammed Shami's house is in Amroh, about 150 kilometers from Delhi.

Born in the quiet village of Sahaspur Alinagar in Amroha and grew up playing cricket with tennis balls in the rough fields, Mohammed Shami started playing cricket.

Shami comes from Uttar Pradesh, but played for Bengal in domestic cricket. He had played 15 first class and 13 List A matches before getting a place in the Indian team for the ODI match against Pakistan in Delhi in January 2013.

In his first ODI, he bowled four maiden overs and took one wicket. India had won this match.

In the same year, in his first Test match against West Indies, he took 9 wickets by reverse swinging at high speed with the old ball. Next year, he took 15 wickets in three matches played on the Australia tour.

Shami took 28 wickets in five matches in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy and after taking 14 wickets in the first eight matches of the domestic T20, he got a place in the Indian team.

performance in ipl

According to Cricinfo, Kolkata Knight Riders included him in their team for the 2011 IPL season. However, he got a chance to play his first match for this team in 2013.

After this, in 2014 he joined Delhi Daredevils. His performance in IPL was better than 2019. He took more than 19 wickets in every season for five consecutive seasons.

First he played for Kings XI Punjab and then Gujarat Titans. He took 20 wickets in Gujarat Titans' first title-winning season in 2022. Next year the team reached the final, where Shami took 28 wickets.