Cricketing mornings redolent with the smell of cut grass, and a wisp of petrichor from last night’s rain, may be the ideal ally for the fast merchants. Yet, the bigger challenge is to run in hard under the afternoon sun and test the batter’s technique.

Mohammed Shami was a speedster, who could do both, excel in the morning and equally decimate batting orders in the post-lunch session. The seam-position would be immaculate, and his energy boundless. In the pantheon of great Indian seamers, headlined by Kapil Dev, Jasprit Bumrah, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan, Shami too is in that group for the sheer impact he had on games that he played. When he retired from Tests late on Friday night (November 6, 2026), Indian cricket, despite having moved on from him, will be poorer.

Shami’s 229 wickets from 64 Tests, could have been more if injuries hadn’t affected his career. In terms of potential he could have bagged 300 scalps but when he called quits at 36, his final Test yield stands fifth among Indian fast bowlers with Kapil, the persevering Ishant Sharma, Zaheer and Srinath being ahead of him.

Bumrah will go past Shami soon, but with the latter’s exit, a specific era in Indian pace bowling history has wound to a close. Bumrah remains the link while Mohammed Siraj is expected to nurse the flame.

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh but finding success as a spearhead with Bengal, Shami made his India Test debut fittingly at Eden Gardens, his home ground, against the West Indies in 2013. Rohit Sharma too made his Test debut with Shami, scoring a 177. All from that playing eleven, ranging from the great Sachin Tendulkar to Pragyan Ojha, now the current chief selector, have moved into their post-Test phase even as Rohit and Virat Kohli turn out in ODIs.

For three years, Shami tried to wing his way back into the Indian Test unit. Having recovered from an injury, he strove hard for Bengal. The selectors were still not convinced about him lasting the rigours of five days in Tests, and when he missed the bus for the current New Zealand tour, Shami turned pragmatic.

In his departure, Indian cricket has lost an excellent pacer. Even as he keeps his hopes afloat in white-ball cricket, there is a silent grief in not seeing him in Test whites, clattering stumps, and doing that half-nod, half-smile gesture.