3 most memorable moments of Mohammed Shami’s Test career

Mohammed Shami announced his retirement from Test cricket on November 6, 2026, exactly 13 years after the day he first walked out in whites. The right-arm seamer ended a distinguished career with 229 wickets from 64 matches, a bowling average of 27.71 and an economy rate of 3.31.

Shami confirmed he will continue playing white-ball cricket, including the IPL and domestic matches. As he steps away from the longest format, it is worth revisiting three moments that defined his Test journey.

3. Dream debut at Eden Gardens, 2013

Shami’s debut at Eden Gardens on November 6, 2013, against West Indies was the kind of start most fast bowlers only dream about. Playing on his home ground in Kolkata, he claimed 4/71 in the first innings and then went one better with 5/47 in the second, finishing with match figures of 9/118 as India won by an innings and 51 runs.

The debut also happened to be the match in which Rohit Sharma first appeared in Test cricket, and the series was notable for Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell from all forms of the game at the end of the second Test. Shami’s 9/118 on debut announced him as a genuine Test-match bowler from the very first outing.

2. The Johannesburg miracle, 2018

The third Test of India’s 2018 tour of South Africa, played at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, produced one of the most dramatic collapses in recent Test history. South Africa were placed at 124/1 while chasing a 241-run target and appeared to be cruising. However, Shami’s intervention triggered a stunning slide, and the Proteas were eventually dismissed for 177, handing India a famous victory.

Dean Elgar carried his bat for 86 in that innings, yet South Africa still lost nine wickets for 53 runs after the partnership at 124/1 was broken. The Johannesburg spell remains one of the most talked-about passages of Shami’s career.

1. India’s first Test win at Centurion, 2021

When India toured South Africa in December 2021, Shami produced a first-innings return of 5/44 at Centurion and added three more wickets in the second innings to finish with eight wickets in the match. India won by 113 runs, claiming their first-ever Test victory at that venue and one of the most celebrated overseas wins in the country’s cricket history.

The Centurion win also marked the occasion on which Shami became the fifth Indian fast bowler to reach 200 Test wickets, reaching the milestone in his 55th Test. It was a fitting stage for such a landmark.