Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami has recently been overlooked for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and his performances in the Indian Premier League 2025 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad were underwhelming. In addition to that, the Bengal-pacer, after the long-term injury he sustained after the World Cup in 2023, has not been himself with the ball. On Thursday, he will start bowling with the red ball in the Duleep Trophy, and a decent performance in the tournament might open Indian red-ball doors for him. However, the tricky part for Shami is making a comeback at 34 as a fast bowler is not an easy task, and when asked about his retirement, Shami responded strongly.
“If someone has a problem, tell me, if it is like their lives become better if I take retirement. Tell me whose life have I become a rock in that you want me to retire? The day I get bored, I will leave. You don’t pick me, but I will keep working hard. You don’t pick me in international, I will play domestic. I will keep playing somewhere or the other. You have to make these decisions when you start feeling bored. That is not the time for me now,” Shami told News24.
Shami also mentioned that he has the aspiration to win the World Cup, which is in 2027. In the 2023 World Cup, the pacer played a pivotal role in India reaching the final. His spell against New Zealand, where he picked up seven wickets. He also ended up as a leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets.
“I only have one dream left, that is to win the ODI World Cup. I want to be a part of that team and perform that wins the ODI World Cup and brings it home. We were very close in 2023. We had a gut feeling, but we also had a fear that we were winning non-stop, and it was the knockout stage. There was some fear. But the enthusiasm and belief of the fans motivated us. This was a dream that could have been fulfilled, but maybe it was not in my luck,” he said.
