He has played 108 ODI matches for India, picking up 206 wickets.
Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has not been a part of international cricket since the Champions Trophy 2025 Final on March 9. He was sidelined from the tour of England, where India levelled the five-match Test series 2-2. The Bengal-based player has not been considered for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, either.
Shami will be turning 35 in a few days, and citing his fitness problem, it may look like his career is almost over. But the veteran pacer has no plans to call it quits.
Shami stated that if he does not get picked in the Indian team, he will keep playing domestic cricket. He will not announce his retirement until he gets bored.
“If someone has a problem, tell me, if it is like their lives become better if I take retirement. Tell me whose life have I become a rock in that you want me to retire? The day I get bored, I will leave. You don’t pick me, but I will keep working hard. You don’t pick me internationally, I will play domestic. I will keep playing somewhere or the other. You have to make these decisions when you start feeling bored. That is not the time for me now,” Shami told News24.
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Shami is looking to come back in the squad for the ODI World Cup in 2027. The right arm pacer wants to put in all the hard yards.
“I only have one dream left, that is to win the ODI World Cup. I want to be a part of that team and perform that way that wins the ODI World Cup and brings it home. We were very close in 2023. We had a gut feeling, but we also had a fear that we were winning non-stop, and it was the knockout stage. There was some fear. But the enthusiasm and belief of the fans motivated us. This was a dream that could have been fulfilled, but maybe it was not in my luck,” he added.
Ever since making his international debut back in 2013, the 34-year-old pacer has taken part in 64 Tests, where he has scalped 229 wickets. He has also played 108 ODI matches for India, picking up 206 wickets.
Shami played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad after getting acquired for a massive INR 10 crore in the mega auction. He played a total of nine games, where he collected only six wickets. It would be interesting to see whether he gets retained by the franchise.
