As tributes poured in from former players, fans and the BCCI after Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday, they all pointed to the same truth: India had bid farewell to one of its finest pacers. Over 13 years, Shami played 64 Tests, claimed 229 wickets and helped transform India's pace-bowling identity.
Amid the praise, though, lingered uncomfortable questions: Was he valued enough in the final phase of his career? Like several senior Indian cricketers before him, Shami's Test journey ended not on a cricket field but through a social media post. There was no farewell Test among passionate fans in a full stadium. For a bowler who had such a massive impact on India's fortunes, the ending felt understated and incomplete.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri voiced that sentiment forcefully. "Without him, the fast-bowling unit would not have functioned," Shastri said on Sony Sports Network during the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday. The former coach was convinced Shami still had plenty left to offer. "I definitely thought he had another 30-40 wickets left in him. He should have played in the last 12 months and should have played Tests here."
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey shared a similar view. "Personally, I would have loved to see him represent India again, in Test cricket and in other formats as well," Mhambrey told TOI. "He's played Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy, done well and, honestly, he's a joy to watch. He makes everything look so easy."
Mhambrey stopped short of questioning the decision-makers, though, acknowledging that outsiders were unaware of the conversations that may have taken place between Shami, the selectors and the team management.
Shastri's strongest criticism, however, was reserved for the repeated doubts over Shami's fitness despite his performances for Bengal in domestic cricket. "He was bowling 15 to 20 overs daily. What else do you want a player to do to prove his fitness?" Shastri asked.
Shami's final Test came in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023. For a bowler who continued to play domestic cricket thereafter, it felt like a forced full stop.
Ask Mhambrey what made Shami special and the answer arrives quickly. "Very few bowlers in world cricket had that kind of upright seam presentation. As a batter, you never knew whether the ball would come in or go away. He kept asking questions every ball."
That seam position became Shami's trademark. Few bowlers of his generation attacked the stumps as relentlessly. Of his 229 Test wickets, 101 came through bowled or lbw dismissals.
Mhambrey believes another underrated aspect of Shami's success was his simplicity. "He wasn't data-driven. He kept things very simple. He knew what he wanted and how he wanted to prepare. There wasn't too much noise around his process."
The numbers underline just how valuable he was. On spin-friendly home surfaces, where fast bowlers often played supporting roles, Shami remained a match-winner. He claimed 76 wickets in India at an extraordinary average of 22, and India did not lose any of the 21 home Tests in which he featured.
Part of that success stemmed from a quality often overlooked. "He surprised people with his pace," Mhambrey said. "He was much quicker than batters felt. He had great rhythm and could replicate it again and again. That's why you saw so many bowled and lbw dismissals."
Few teammates enjoyed facing him in the nets. Dinesh Karthik once described the experience as "torture", while Shami's fierce practice battles with Virat Kohli could have been part of many highlight reels.
For Shami, bowling was never a chore. It was romance. During the Covid lockdown, he returned to his farmhouse in Amroha, built clay practice tracks and spent hours bowling and running to stay sharp.
That old-school philosophy, Mhambrey believes, defined an entire generation of Indian fast bowlers. "Shami, Bumrah, Ishant, Umesh, Bhuvneshwar, they bowled a lot. Skill came first. Fitness supplemented that skill. If you want control, you need to bowl. If you want to know your limits, you need to bowl."
Perhaps that is why Shami earned the label "Second-Innings Shami", a bowler whose threat often intensified as matches wore on. Mhambrey observes that his pace rarely dipped, his accuracy remained relentless and his upright seam challenged both edges of quality batters.
Which makes it all the more ironic that he was never afforded a second innings in his own Test career. "In this 13-year journey, this cap and this ball made me Mohammed Shami," he said in his farewell message. "I did fall, I did get hurt, I did get injured. But I stood up again for this badge."
For that, Shami deserved one final opportunity to walk away on his own terms, but he probably retired hurt.
