Team India veteran pacer Mohammed Shami lashed out at the report hinting at his potential retirement from Test cricket ahead of the England Tour. The five-match Test series against England is scheduled to take place on June 20 and the India squad is expected to be announced by BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar by fourth week of May, along with unveiling of new Test captain.

Indian cricket fraternity is yet to come to terms that two batting stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from the longest format of the game. Rohit was the first to call time on red-ball cricket after he was sacked from captaincy and then, Virat followed the suit by pulling the curtains on his illustrious Test career after playing for 14 years and 123 matches. Rohit and Kohli were cornerstones of India’s batting for over a decade, while leading the team through a golden period with their leadership.

Amid the buzz of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Test retirements, there are rumours that Mohammed Shami too would call it quits from red-ball after the reports emerged that he is unlikely to get picked for the England Test series.

Mohammed Shami shut the rumours of his Test retirement by slamming the journalist for publishing a fake report hinting at his adieu to red-ball cricket. Shami shared the screenshot of the report on his Instagram story and asked the journalist to worry about his own career rather than speculating about the veteran pacer.

“Very well done Maharaj, apna job k din bhi gin loo kitna adieu hai badme dekh le hamara ap jaise ne satyanash kar diya future ka kabi to accha bol liya kare aaj ka sabse kharab story, sorry.” veteran Indian pacer wrote.

(Very well done, Master! Start counting how many days are left in your job before taking a look at mine. Annihilated the future, at least say something good about the future sometime. It’s today’s worst story, sorry)

Mohammed Shami has formed a formidable pace bowling attack along with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in Test cricket. Shami made his Test debut in 2013 and went on to establish himself as one of the reliable pacers for India in the longest format of the game.

Mohammed Shami is the 11th leading wicket-taker for India in Tests, scalping 229 wickets, including 12 four-wicket hauls and 6 fifers, at an average of 27.71 and an economy rate of 3.30 in 64 matches.

Mohammed Shami’s inclusion in the India squad for the Test series against England remains doubtful amid his dismal performance in the ongoing IPL 2025, picking just six wickets at an average of 56.17 and an economy rate of 11.23 in 9 matches.

However, Shami has a decent record in Tests against England in England, picking 34 wickets at an average of 42.14 and an economy rate of 3.56. When India toured England last time for the 2021-22 series, the veteran pacer picked 13 wickets, including a four-wicket haul, at an average of 34.23 and an economy rate of 3.32 in four matches. Last year, Shami missed the Test series against England due to an ankle injury.

Mohammed Shami has yet to play a Test match since his return to competitive cricket as he missed the series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Australia. India suffered a white-wash at the hands of Kiwis at home, while they renounced their Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in 10 years.

It remains to be seen whether the selectors will take a leap of faith by backing the experienced Shami despite his recent form and fitness concerns.