Mohammed Shami Retirement on Cards After Squad Exclusion

For​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ a very long time, Mohammed Shami has been one of the best bowlers in India and has been able to swing the ball in both directions and simply break the opposition with absolute precision. Shami has been the main drive behind India’s pace revolution since his debut in the Test format in 2013, as he has created extremely dangerous trios with Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma.

Shami has been very instrumental in India’s overseas triumphs through his excellent execution of the delivery, unwavering discipline, and great clutchability, as he has been able to move the ball off the seam, maintain his line and length, and deliver in tight moments. Now that the 34-year-old is not in the Test squad nor the India A squad for the tour of South Africa, there is a lot of speculation about Mohammed Shami retirement from international cricket in the future.

Mohammed Shami’s Omission Sparks Retirement Speculation

Mohammed Shami’s illustrious international career might be nearing its end as the seasoned pacer finds himself out of both India’s main Test squad and the India A team for the upcoming tour of South Africa. The exclusion of the pacer has sparked a lot of buzz in the cricketing fraternity and different opinions. Rumors regarding Mohammed Shami retirement date from international cricket have been made after the squad announcement.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Test and India A squads for the upcoming South Africa tour, a significant part of India’s World Test Championship (WTC) campaign. While solid contributors from some of the best test bowlers in the world, like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, have been selected again, Shami’s non-selection caught everyone off guard and was the most talked-about point.

Over the last ten years, the 34-year-old has been India’s red-ball most reliable strike bowler and has been a nightmare for the opposing teams due to his wicket-taking skills, especially by reverse swinging the ball and toiling the short pitches which are not dead. Nevertheless, Shami's departure from the India Test team might be the result of the selectors' decision to see the next generation and therefore pick young fast-bowling options.

Fitness Concerns and Transition Phase for India’s Pace Attack

Following​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ that amazing run where he took the most wickets in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023, Shami has been hampered by repeated injuries over the last couple of years. Ever since then, he has been dealing with fitness issues that have kept him hardly accessible for international and domestic cricket. A report suggests that he is still not fully recovered from a chronic ankle problem, which may have been the reason for the selection panel's decision.

While it is true that he has been troubled with injuries, Mohammed Shami return still wishes to keep on playing Test cricket, and he has even referred to it as the "purest form" of the game quite frequently. However, the present circumstances are indicative of a change in the fast-bowling department of India.