Mohammed Shami debunks retirement rumours, strongly responds to false claim

Published - 13 May 2025, 22:44 IST | Updated - 13 May 2025, 23:12 IST

Mohammed Shami has dismissed rumours in relation to his retirement by taking to Instagram to address a false report regarding the same. This comes after the report claimed that Shami's inclusion in India's red-ball unit against England in the upcoming series relied on his ability to bowl long spells at a stretch.

Shami uploaded a screengrab of the report which stated the right-arm quick would be 'likely to bid adieu to Test cricket'. With a playful yet assertive tone, he further went onto comment on the days left for the journalist who drafted the article. Shami also went onto add that it was the worst story he had gotten to know of on May 13 (the piece was published on May 11).

Interestingly, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket on May 7 and May 12, respectively. The widespread conjectures regarding Shami have been dismissed outright by himself, who last featured for India in the longest format in the final of the 2021-23 cycle of the World Test Championship in June 2023.

Following an extended injury layoff after the 2023 edition of the 50-over World Cup, the star pacer returned to domestic red-ball cricket but was not considered for the 2024-25 Australia tour due to ongoing fitness concerns. Currently representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025, he starred for the Men in Blue in their victorious Champions Trophy campaign.

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India are scheduled to play five Tests in England, with the much-awaited series commencing on June 20. While the squad hasn't been released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India yet, it is anticipated that Shami might return to the setup to jointly lead the line alongside other Indian pacers.