Mohammed Shami is all set to announce his retirement from international cricket soon after being continuously overlooked for India selection despite being fully fit and showing great form with the ball across the formats in domestic cricket.
The Indian fast bowler has been left out of both the India and India A squads for the upcoming series against South Africa.
He was last seen in action during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. His last Test appearance was the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.
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Selectors seal Mohammed Shami’s fate with South Africa Test snub
Shami played a key role in India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph in March, but his IPL 2025 performance did not stand out, and the selectors seem to be leaning toward younger pace options.
Apart from that, the Bengal pacer’s earlier fitness issues altogether led to his omission from the Indian cricket team across the formats.
Read Also: MS Dhoni’s IPL retirement declaration made by CSK CEO
However, Shami’s omission is surprising given his recent outstanding performance in domestic cricket. He has been unstoppable in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26.
The senior pacer has so far scalped 15 wickets in just three matches, including an impressive five-wicket haul against Gujarat.
His performances show he is still a major threat in red-ball cricket. Yet, Shami was not only overlooked for the senior Test squad but also for the India A team that will take on South Africa A in a three-match one-day series. Earlier, he was also overlooked for the England and Australia tours.
Mohammed Shami set to bid goodbye to International Cricket
Well, India’s pace attack for the upcoming Test series against South Africa is now led by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Bengal pacer Akash Deep has also made a comeback after recovering from a shoulder injury. Mohammed Shami’s continuous snub was a clear hint at a possible shift in India’s Test bowling lineup.
After India’s Test squad was announced, rumors of Mohammed Shami’s retirement from international cricket intensified. As claimed by the Aaj Tak journalists, Shami is likely to call time on his inspirational journey soon. It is all but confirmed that the Indian selectors sealed Shami’s fate.
With the latest snub, the senior Indian pacer’s career is over now. Like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the Bengal pacer is unlikely to get a farewell match with India.
Mohammed Shami is considered one of India’s finest ever fast bowlers, and he has given everything for Indian cricket despite struggling with injuries. And fans felt he surely didn’t deserve an ending like this.
Seems to be the end of Mohd Shami, one of the finest the Indian cricket has ever seen.
Only Bumrah (42.7) has a better strike rate than Shami (50.2) amongst the Indian bowlers, who have played more than 20 Test matches.
Remember, Shami also played a fair bit of his cricket at…
— Rahul Rawat (@rawatrahul9) November 5, 2025
Mohammad Shami has been a legend in his own right, a great soldier of Indian cricket. Doesn’t deserve this kind of an ending pic.twitter.com/vqP7Ua8TzZ
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) November 5, 2025
Mohammed Shami’s coach blasts Indian selectors for using T20 Metrics to pick the Test team
Meanwhile, Shami’s coach, Mohammed Badruddin, slammed the Indian selectors for using the T20 metrics for Test selection. Badruddin was quoted as saying by Sports Tak:
“I think they’ve made up their minds that they won’t pick him for now, and in my view, that’s completely wrong. When you select a Test team, it should be based on Ranji Trophy performances.”
He further said, “If you’re selecting for tests using T20 metrics, that’s not right. You should look at who’s doing well in Ranji and pick from there. But here, it looks like the decisions are pre-decided—they already know which players they want, and they just stick to that list.
“So, all this talk about performance or fitness is just an excuse. Saying ‘he’s unfit’ or ‘needs match practice’—that’’s not true. They already have a plan about who they want to play and who they don’t.”
