Mohammed Shami has brought the curtain down on his Test career, announcing his retirement from the longest format on Friday, November 6 — exactly 13 years to the day after he made his debut. The 36-year-old fast bowler shared the news in an emotional video message on Instagram, filmed at his farmhouse in Sahaspur Alinagar village in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha district, and confirmed he will continue playing white-ball cricket.
The date was no coincidence. Shami received his Test cap — number 279 — on November 6, 2013, when he debuted against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. “I received this cap on November 6, and today is November 6. I want to bring this journey to an end today,” he said in the video, holding the cap and a red ball. “I am leaving the white jersey, but never the memories connected to it.”
Shami finishes his Test career with 229 wickets from 64 matches at an average of 27.71, taken across 122 innings at an economy rate of 3.30. That makes him the sixth-most successful fast bowler for India in Test cricket, behind Kapil Dev (434), Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma (311 each), Javagal Srinath (236) and Jasprit Bumrah (234).
His last Test appearance came in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June 2023, and he has been out of the Indian team since the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Shami was a central figure in the pace attack that powered India’s first Test series win in Australia in 2018-19, and for years he was the senior partner to Bumrah with both the new ball and the old.
Only the longest format is behind him. Shami made clear he will keep playing white-ball cricket — the IPL and domestic matches — and said that if he stays fit he will continue playing four-day domestic cricket as well. “But this is the end of my international Test career,” he said.
“When I first wore India’s Test jersey, I had only a dream — to do something for my country,” Shami wrote in his post. “After that every wicket, every struggle, every injury and every comeback taught me something. Test cricket has never been just a format for me; it 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.”
His retirement comes as India rebuild their pace attack for the next cycle. Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are playing for India A in Lincoln ahead of the two-Test series against New Zealand starting November 19, while Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj are leading the attack in the ongoing ODI series.
Shami’s exit closes a 13-year chapter that began and ended on the same November date.
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