Mohammed Shami Shuts Down Test Retirement Rumors

Mohammed Shami isn’t one to hold back – and on Tuesday, he made that loud and clear. The veteran Indian pacer, currently turning out for SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, lashed out at an online portal for publishing what he called the “worst story of the day” after they speculated about his Test future.

Shami slams false reporting 

A report suggested that Shami could be the next big name to walk away from red-ball cricket following Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s recent Test retirements. But Shami wasn’t having any of it. He posted a screenshot of the article on his Instagram Stories and tore into it with some pointed words. "Very well done, Maharaj. Apna job ke din bhi ginloo kitna adieu hai. Badme dekhle humara aap. Jaise ne satyinaash kar diya future ka. Kabhi toh accha bol liya kare. Aaj ka sabse kharab story sorry (You should count the days that are remaining in your job. You should say something nice sometimes. This is the worst story of the day)," wrote Shami, making it abundantly clear that he has no plans of stepping away from Test cricket. 

Shami, who is currently playing for SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, hasn’t played a Test since the World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023. A lengthy injury layoff followed his standout showing in the 2023 ODI World Cup, after which he missed the Australia tour due to fitness concerns. But since then, he's made a strong return – most notably as a key figure in India's Champions Trophy-winning campaign earlier this year. 

The 33-year-old has 229 wickets from 64 Tests at an average of 27.71, and even though he hasn’t featured in red-ball cricket for India in nearly two years, he remains very much in the mix. With a five-match Test series against England starting June 20, there’s a buzz around Shami potentially rejoining the squad – especially if fully fit – to lead the attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur. 

Meanwhile, fans and pundits alike were caught off guard when Rohit and Kohli retired from the longest format within five days of each other earlier this month. That, in part, triggered speculation about more senior players stepping down. But as far as Shami is concerned, he’s not ready to hang up his whites just yet. With the England tour looming, don't be surprised if Shami comes roaring back in whites. He's not done proving people wrong just yet. 

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