Mohammed Shami bowls during the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) cricket match between New Zealand and India at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on March 2, 2025. – AFP

India’s veteran pacer Mohammed Shami has strongly refuted rumours about his retirement from cricket, stressing that he has no plans to walk away from the game anytime soon.

In an interview on Wednesday, Shami questioned the intent behind such reports, asking why some people were eager to see him retire.

“If someone has a problem, tell me. Whose life will become better if I take retirement?” Shami said.

The 34-year-old clarified that he would only consider retirement the day he loses motivation or feels bored of the game. 

Until then, he intends to continue playing—be it at the domestic level or elsewhere—whenever not selected for international matches.

“Tell me whose life have I become a stone that you want me to retire? The day I get bored, I will leave. You don’t pick me, don’t play me, I don’t care,” he said.

“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. Retirement and such decisions are made when you start feeling bored, when you don’t want to wake up at 7 am for a Test. That is not the time for me now. I’ll be up at 5 if you want me to,” he added.

Shami, who was recently overlooked for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, was also excluded from India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, signalling his diminishing role in the shorter formats. 

However, he remains determined to extend his international career and has set his sights on one final dream—winning the ODI World Cup in 2027.

“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 win the ODI World Cup and bring it home,” he stated. 

“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 concluded.

In the meantime, the 34-year-old has been named in East Zone’s squad for the Duleep Trophy and is expected to feature in their clash against North Zone, beginning August 28 at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.