India’s star pacer Mohammed Shami’s long-awaited return to competitive cricket has been postponed yet again. Shami, who had hoped to regain match fitness ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by playing in the Ranji Trophy, has not been named in Bengal’s squad for their fourth and fifth-round matches against Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
Bengal’s head coach, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, shared that Shami was eager to participate in the Ranji games as preparation for the upcoming Australia series. Unfortunately, Shami continues to recover from ankle surgery and will miss these crucial domestic outings.
“We’re hopeful Shami will join us later for games against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh,” Laxmi Ratan Shukla told The Indian Express. “He’s incredibly valuable, both for India and Bengal, and we would love to have him with us. He had expressed a strong desire to play in the Ranji Trophy before heading to Australia. Some good performances here would help him, and it’d be a big boost for our team too.” Shukla noted that Bengal is already missing four key players to national duties with India and India A.
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After undergoing Achilles heel surgery following the 2023 ODI World Cup, Shami has struggled with his recovery. Apologizing to fans and the BCCI, he expressed disappointment at missing out on the upcoming Test series against Australia. Instead, younger bowlers Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana were selected in his place.
India’s pace ace Mohammed Shami wasn’t named in Bengal’s #RanjiTrophy squad for the next two rounds
He’s been out of action since last year’s World Cup final due to an ankle injury
Read more: https://t.co/arDqn9pzLh pic.twitter.com/7S34D8YvSd
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 4, 2024
Mohammed Shami recently shared a video of himself training in the gym, emphasizing his commitment to regaining full fitness and his intention to soon return to red-ball cricket. Originally, Shami had been anticipated to make a comeback during India’s Test series at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand.
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However, a swollen knee further delayed his return. With these setbacks, Shami remains focused on regaining form, promising fans and selectors that he’ll soon be back in action and ready to represent both Bengal and India.
Bengal’s Ranji Trophy squad
Bengal squad for fourth and fifth rounds of Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Anustup Majumdar, Wriddhiman Saha, Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Kr Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Ishan Porel, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Md Kaif, Rohit Kumar, Rishav Vivek.
