Mohammed Shami retirement: The final straw that broke the fast bowler’s will to fight

Little did anyone in the Bengal Ranji Trophy camp know that Mohammed Shami would call it quits from Test cricket. The veteran fast bowler, who took 21 wickets in his last five first-class matches, was still desperate for a comeback. He wanted to play for the national team, even if it was the last time.

But Shami dropped a bombshell two days before Diwali, late on November 6, announcing his retirement from Test cricket.

India Today spoke to Mohammed Shami’s personal trainer Badruddin Siddique and Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla to find out what exactly happened in the last few days that prompted the fast bowler’s announcement.

A COMEBACK TRAIL THAT GOT COLD

Mohammed Shami has been trying to make a comeback from his snub after India’s 2025 Champions Trophy-winning campaign. Shami took nine wickets in five matches on spin-friendly surfaces, the second-highest tally among pacers behind Matt Henry, who took 10.

But a few months later, Shami was left out of India’s Test squad for the tour of England despite leading the bowling attack in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence during the victorious campaign.

That’s when an idea first flashed in his mind, says his mentor Badruddin.

“Shami had been considering retirement for a long time. He wanted to retire much earlier, after India’s tour of England in 2025.”

Around that time, the then chief selector Ajit Agarkar wanted Shami to lose weight, get stronger and prove himself in domestic cricket before returning to the national team. Mohammed Shami calls physio with neck strain. (PTI Photo)

Good. No problem.

Shami obliged.

The fast bowler took 37 wickets in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, including nine against eventual champions Jammu and Kashmir in the semi-final. But he was not recalled to the Indian team.

“The chief selector said that he was not fit when he was bowling and taking wickets every day and he was hurt that they were not even considering him,” said Badruddin.

“I was holding him back. He felt quite disrespected. He didn’t say it out loud because he wanted to come back. We hid the emotions, but how long are we going to keep it in?”

“And finally he lost his patience.

WHEN SHAMI DECIDED TO CALL TIME

It is worth remembering what Shami has already achieved in Test cricket. He leaves with the second best bowling average among Indian fast bowlers. Only Jasprit Bumrah, a freak of nature who concedes just 19 runs per wicket, is ahead of Shami, who averages 27.71.

Don’t forget that this list includes some elite cricketers: Kapila Dev, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Umesh Yadav and of course Mohammed Siraj.

Shami is also the sixth highest wicket-taker among Indian fast bowlers with 229 scalps to his credit.

Badruddin suggests that the final straw was the call-up of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the Indian T20I side for the New Zealand series.

Shami continued to believe that another opportunity might come his way. But when Bhuvneshwar returned to the Indian team and Shami was still being overlooked, he began to feel that there was no point in continuing the fight.

“Not being called back into the team after his performance in domestic cricket must have broken him. Shami decided to call time after Bhuvneshwar Kumar was recalled to the Indian team. (PTI Photo)

‘EGOTIST AGARKAR SHOULD BE ASHAMED’

Little did the Bengal camp know that Shami would announce his retirement on November 6, the 13th anniversary of his Test debut. But they sensed that his comeback fight was slowly waning. Time and time again, they watched him get sidelined by the selection committee.

Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla gave a sharp assessment of the whole saga.

“Ajit Agarkar will be remembered as an egotistical guy. Nobody will remember him as a fast bowler. His legacy will be an egotistical selector who ruined several lives.”

There is a good reason for Laxmi Shukla’s honest answer.

Mohammed Shami was Laxmi Shukla’s find in 2010. Bengal were transitioning from the great Ranadeb Bose (317 first-class wickets) and needed someone sharp to pair with pacer Ashok Dinda.

“I still remember that day when I was the captain and he came to the net. He was playing at Under-23 level. From there I directly forced him to play Ranji Trophy cricket. And the rest is history,” the Bengal coach fondly recalls.

Shami and Dinda wreaked havoc on the home sides. Manoj Tiwary fondly remembers the 2017 Ranji Trophy match where he fielded nine players for two fast bowlers. Courtesy: X

But Shukla’s fond memories soon give way to anger over the way Shami was treated.

“Ajit Agarkar will have to carry this sin, this responsibility for the rest of his life.

“Shami was performing. And you still didn’t pick him. What could be more shameful than this?”

For Shukla, the issue goes beyond Shami. He believes Agarkar’s ego shaped several of his decisions and points to his treatment of some of India’s biggest names as an example.

“What did he have against Suryakumar Yadav? He won the World Cup and in the very next series you remove a World Cup winning captain. Why did you drop Rohit Sharma as ODI captain? Why did you stand for Virat Kohli’s life in Test cricket? Jalaj Saxena has been waiting for four years now.”

“Only Agarkar and his ego know what the problem is. Virat Kohli retired after a poor BGT 2024-25 campaign. (Photo by Reuters)

Shami’s retirement video was somber and reverent. After all, he has only retired from one format, and the 2027 ODI World Cup is still in sight.

“Shami had at least two years of Test cricket left in him. He trained really hard. He trained between 1pm and 8pm. The kids in my academy saw him train and improved in fitness and bowling playing with him. It hurts that they (selectors) didn’t see value in him,” sighs Badruddin.

While Shami has retired from Test cricket, he will continue to play red ball cricket for Bengal. He says it’s to keep fit.

Badruddin doesn’t believe it.

“He didn’t find his cricket in Uttar Pradesh. Bengal gave him that and that’s why he comes back to Bengal every time they need him. That’s the kind of ethic he’s built his life on.”

For Badruddin and Shukla, Shami’s retirement is difficult to accept for various reasons. One watched him grow as a cricketer and stood by him through the tough years. The latter gave him his first opportunity in Ranji Trophy cricket and watched him become one of the best fast bowlers in India. They both believe he had more to do. And neither seems ready to accept that his Test career is over.

– The end