Mohammed Shami Retires From Test Cricket After 13 Years, 64 Tests and 229 Wickets

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has announced his retirement from Test cricket, closing a 13-year career in the longest format of the game on the very same date he started it.

Shami, 36, shared the news on Friday, 6 November 2026, through an emotional video and message on his social media accounts. He picked the date with care: 6 November 2013 was the day he made his Test debut against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Exactly 13 years later, on the same date, he said goodbye.

“Today, with a heavy heart and countless beautiful memories, I am taking the decision to retire from Test cricket,” Shami wrote.

He is not leaving cricket altogether. Shami confirmed he will keep playing white-ball cricket, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket for Bengal. But the white jersey, the red ball and the five-day game are now part of his past.

For Indian cricket, it is the end of an era. Shami was one of the most reliable fast bowlers India has ever produced, a bowler who could win matches on flat pitches at home and in tough conditions abroad. He finishes with 229 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 27.71 — the sixth-most successful fast bowler in India’s Test history.

The Announcement: 13 Years to the Day

Shami made his announcement in a video posted on his social media accounts late on Friday. In it, he held up his Test cap and spoke about what the format had meant to him.

“In this 13-year journey, this cap, this ball, made me Mohammed Shami,” he said. “All the ups and downs, I did fall, I did get hurt, I did get injured. But I stood up again for this badge.”

He thanked his coaches, trainers, physiotherapists and, above all, the fans. “Especially the fans. The name that the cricket fans have made, the boost they give to this name, it will always be remembered,” he said.

Then he explained the timing. “So, 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.”

“I am leaving this, but I will continue to play white-ball cricket, whether it is IPL or domestic,” he added.

The message was short and simple, but it travelled fast. Within hours, former teammates, fans and cricket boards around the world were sharing tributes to a bowler who had quietly become one of the greats of Indian fast bowling.

A Dream Debut at Eden Gardens

Shami’s Test story began in the most dramatic way possible. On 6 November 2013, a 23-year-old from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh walked out at Eden Gardens in Kolkata to play his first Test, against the West Indies.

It was a famous match for another reason too: it was Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell series, and the whole country was watching. But Shami stole a share of the spotlight. He took nine wickets in the match — 9 for 118 — ripping through the West Indies batting with pace, seam movement and reverse swing.

Those figures remain the best match figures of his Test career. From his very first game, it was clear India had found a special fast bowler.

Shami’s journey to that debut had not been easy. Born in Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh, he left home in search of better cricket opportunities and found them in Bengal, where he made his Ranji Trophy debut in November 2010. Three years later, he was playing Test cricket for India.

Mohammed Shami’s Test Career in Numbers

The numbers tell the story of a bowler who delivered, year after year, in all conditions:

• Matches: 64 Tests for India
• Wickets: 229
• Bowling average: 27.71
• Strike rate: 50.2 balls per wicket
• Five-wicket hauls: 6
• Best match figures: 9 for 118 on debut against the West Indies, Eden Gardens, 2013
• Ranking: 12th highest wicket-taker for India in Test cricket, and 6th among Indian fast bowlers

The team results are just as impressive. India won 31 of the 64 Tests Shami played in and drew 13. He never lost a home Test series in his entire career.

Shami was also at his most dangerous when the game was on the line. Nearly 45 percent of his wickets were either bowled or leg-before-wicket (LBW) — the two dismissals that show a bowler is attacking the stumps, not just waiting for a mistake. He was far more dangerous in the second innings than the first, when pitches wore down and his reverse swing became harder to handle.

At home, where pitches are often said to favour spin bowlers, Shami was superb. In India he averaged just 22.1 and took a wicket every 42.6 balls. Only three Indian bowlers in history have a better strike rate at home.

What Made Shami Different

Fast bowlers come in many styles. Some are tall and bounce the ball. Some swing it both ways in the air. Shami’s gift was his seam.

He bowled with an upright seam, which means the ball hit the pitch on its seam and moved sharply off the surface, even on flat wickets. He also mastered reverse swing — the art of making an old ball move late in the air — which made him lethal with the old ball when other fast bowlers were struggling.

His approach was simple and direct: bowl wicket to wicket, attack the stumps, and let the ball do the work. That is why so many of his wickets were bowled or LBW. Batsmen did not just edge him to the slips; he knocked their stumps over.

One famous example came during India’s 4–0 Test series win over England in 2016, when Shami broke England captain Alastair Cook’s stumps in half. It was a picture of his bowling at its best: fast, straight, and too good for one of the finest batsmen of his generation.

He was also a bowler for all conditions. He took wickets on the green pitches of England, the bouncy tracks of Australia and South Africa, and the slow, turning surfaces of India. That is rare. Many fast bowlers are dangerous in one country and ordinary in another. Shami was dangerous everywhere.

The 2023 World Cup: His Finest Hour in White-Ball Cricket

While this retirement is about Test cricket, Shami’s white-ball record deserves a mention too — because it explains why fans are so happy he is not retiring from cricket completely.

At the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Shami was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker. He took 55 World Cup wickets in total across his career, the most by any Indian bowler, and he reached 50 World Cup wickets faster than any bowler in the 48-year history of the tournament.

His finest day came in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai, where he took 7 wickets for 57 runs — the best figures by an Indian bowler in a one-day international, and the only time an Indian has taken seven wickets in an ODI innings.

That performance, and his calm under pressure in the biggest games, is why Indian fans will be glad to see him continue in white-ball cricket. The Test chapter is closed, but the shorter formats still have his name in them.

Shami was also a member of the Indian team that won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He received the Arjuna Award, one of India’s highest sporting honours, in 2023.

The Long Goodbye: Injuries and the Last Test

Shami’s last Test match came more than three years before his announcement. He played his final red-ball game for India in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in London in June 2023. India lost that match, and Shami never returned to the Test side.

The years since then were shaped by injuries and by a changing Indian team. Fast bowling is one of the hardest jobs in sport, and bodies break down. Shami had ankle surgery and a long recovery, and while he fought his way back to fitness, the team management began to look at younger fast bowlers.

He kept playing domestic cricket for Bengal, proving his fitness and his skill were still there. In the 2026–27 season he played three Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal and took 14 wickets. On Friday, the same day he announced his Test retirement, he was named in Bengal’s 19-member squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic Twenty20 competition.

He has not played any international cricket since the Champions Trophy final in March 2025, which India won against New Zealand. That match, rather than the 2023 World Test Championship final, is his last game in an India shirt for now.

What Happens Next for Shami

Shami’s future is in white-ball cricket. He plays for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and he will continue to play domestic cricket for Bengal. The IPL franchises have until 17 November to decide which players they will keep and which they will release ahead of the 2027 auction, so Shami’s next IPL season will become clear in the coming days.

At 36, he is still a match-winner in shorter formats. His ability to take wickets with the new ball and to bowl yorkers at the death makes him valuable to any team. Indian fans will also watch to see whether he plays in the next ODI World Cup cycle, although his focus for now is on staying fit and enjoying the game.

Beyond playing, Shami’s experience makes him a natural mentor. Young Indian fast bowlers have much to learn from a man who mastered seam, swing and reverse swing, and who kept coming back from injuries that would have ended many careers.

What Shami’s Retirement Means for Indian Cricket

Shami’s retirement is the end of a golden period for Indian fast bowling. For much of the last decade, India had a pace attack that could win matches anywhere in the world — and Shami was at the heart of it, alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Ishant Sharma.

That attack changed how India played Test cricket. For generations, India was known as a team of great batsmen and spinners. Under Shami and his fellow fast bowlers, India became a team that could take 20 wickets overseas and win Test series in Australia, England and South Africa.

The next generation is coming through, and India has exciting young fast bowlers. But replacing a bowler with 229 Test wickets, who never lost a home series and who took wickets in every country he played in, will not be easy.

For now, Indian cricket says thank you to a bowler who gave everything to the Test cap he received on 6 November 2013 — and who chose to give it back on the same date, 13 years later.

Frequently asked questions

When did Mohammed Shami retire from Test cricket?

Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on Friday, 6 November 2026, through a video and message on his social media accounts.

How many Test wickets did Mohammed Shami take?

Shami took 229 wickets in 64 Test matches for India, at an average of 27.71 and a strike rate of 50.2 balls per wicket.

What was Mohammed Shami’s best Test performance?

His best match figures were 9 for 118 on his Test debut against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in November 2013. He also took six five-wicket hauls in his Test career.

Why did Mohammed Shami retire from Test cricket?

Shami has not played a Test match since the World Test Championship final in June 2023, and injuries and the rise of younger fast bowlers kept him out of the Test side. He chose to announce his retirement on 6 November 2026, exactly 13 years after his Test debut on the same date.

Is Mohammed Shami retiring from all cricket?

No. Shami has retired only from Test cricket. He will continue to play white-ball cricket, including the IPL for the Lucknow Super Giants and domestic cricket for Bengal.

What was Mohammed Shami’s last Test match?

His last Test was the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in London in June 2023.

Conclusion

Mohammed Shami’s Test career began with nine wickets on debut and ended with 229 wickets, a place among India’s greatest fast bowlers, and a home record no opponent could break.

He was not the loudest cricketer or the most famous, but he was one of the most effective. He attacked the stumps, he mastered reverse swing, and he won matches in conditions that were supposed to be against him. India won 31 of the 64 Tests he played, and never lost a home series with him in the side.

The white jersey is now folded away, but the white-ball game still has him. For Indian cricket fans, that is some comfort. For Test cricket, it is the loss of a quiet champion — a bowler who let the ball, not his words, do the talking.

Sources

• ESPNcricinfo, “Mohammed Shami retires from Test cricket”, 6 November 2026: https://www.cricinfo.com/story/india-news-mohammed-shami-retires-from-test-cricket-1561697
• Cricbuzz, “Shami announces retirement from Tests”, 6 November 2026: https://mlb.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/140814/shami-announces-retirement-from-tests
• Geo Super, “Mohammed Shami retires from Test cricket”, 6 November 2026: https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/61086-mohammed-shami-retires-from-test-cricket
• Wikipedia, “Mohammed Shami” (profile and career statistics): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Shami

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.