Mohammed Shami's unsparing reaction to retirement question, asks 'if someone has problem with him': ‘Whose life have I…’

Team India pacer Mohammed Shami hit back strongly at talks of his retirement, making it clear that he has no plans of stepping away anytime soon. The veteran pacer insisted that only he will decide when the time is right, stressing that as long as he enjoys the game, he will keep playing—be it international cricket or the domestic grind. Shami has found himself out of India’s red-ball plans, having missed the recent England series, while he was also omitted from the T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, which has cast doubts over his future with the Indian team. He last played for India during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, he endured a tough IPL season following that, which worsened his case for a comeback in the T20I team. Mohammed Shami last played for India in the Champions Trophy.(AFP)

The recent retirements of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravichandran Ashwin,and the Test and T20I exits of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have also cast a cloud of uncertainty over Shami’s future.

Meanwhile, the pace ace shut the talks with a stern response, stating that he will retire the day he gets bored.

"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.

“My only dream is to win ODI World Cup”

Meanwhile, the 34-year-old revealed that his ultimate dream is to win the ODI World Cup and acknowledged that he came close to it in 2023 when India lost the final.

"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.

Click here to read article