Days after Test giant Cheteshwar Pujara announced his retirement from all forms of the game, Ravichandran Ashwin called time on his IPL career, having already stepped aside from international cricket late last year. As the fans were getting over their retirement calls, chatter around Mohammad Shami’s one hit the internet, with the Indian quick squashing all such thoughts in an interview. Shami has been away from the selection fray since recovering from the ankle injury, with a flop IPL 2025 also adding to it. He, however, has a pending dream in cricket before calling time on his decorated career.

Shami was Team India’s best bowler during the home World Cup two years ago, picking 24 wickets in just seven matches, including a seven-wicket haul in the semis against New Zealand. That, however, was the beginning of the end of his peaking performance, as he suffered a broken ankle that kept him out of the game for nearly a year.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Although he did return in October last year, sometime during India’s ongoing home season, the selectors decided against picking him right away to ensure he is match fit and is in some form. After ticking both boxes, Shami returned to the side for the home white-ball leg against England, later featuring in the 2025 Champions Trophy, which India won. What followed next (a failed IPL season) again put the brakes on his momentum, as he failed to make it to the Test squad for the away England Tests.

Struggling to find his place back in the Indian Team, the 34-year-old feels he has plenty to offer, while also working towards realising his biggest dream.

“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 said in a chat with News24.

What is Shami’s dream?

Shami’s greatest World Cup performance did bring India close to winning the title two years ago, but it wasn’t enough to. However, with the next edition (in 2027) in sight, Shami, who also has a WC hat-trick to his name, wishes to win this 50-over extravaganza in Africa.

“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.