Mohammed Shami picks 4 wickets for Bengal in Ranji Trophy, announces return in style

Ace India seamer Mohammed Shami is back doing what he does best—picking wickets. On his competitive return to cricket for the first time in around a year, Shami bagged four wickets for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy tie on Thursday (Nov. 14). After going wicketless in his 10-over spell on day one, Shami picked four in his next on day two, dismissing MP on 167.

The right-arm seamer accounted for MP Captain Shubham Sharma and lower-order batters, including Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya, helping Bengal maintain a 61-run lead.

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Shami picked 4/54 in 19 overs at an economy rate of 2.80.

Meanwhile, a clip of Shami’s return to the field did the rounds on social media on day one, with the premier seamer going wayward in his line early on, though he bowled tight lines throughout.

Despite Shami’s clinical performance in his return game, his participation in the forthcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy remains uncertain. At the time when the BCCI named the 18-man squad for the marquee Australia Tests, Shami, who in the lead-up to the announcement declared himself 100% match-fit, having bowled full throttle following the first two Tests against New Zealand, failed to make the cut due to fitness concerns.

Following the conclusion of the final Test in Mumbai, Rohit addressed Shami’s absence from the BGT squad, claiming everyone concerned took a collective call as they didn’t want to have an under-cooked Shami for five Tests Down Under.

Meanwhile, should Shami attain full match fitness in the two Ranji matches he is scheduled to play in, chances of him linking up with the India Test squad for the Australia series could rise; however, neither the board nor the management has hinted about it.

Shami’s rise and injury

Shami wasn’t India’s first-choice seamer for the opening few games in the home World Cup last year but got included in the playing XI following an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the Bangladesh tie.

The right-arm seamer played the New Zealand tie and wreaked havoc till the end, picking 24 wickets from seven contested matches, including a seven-wicket haul against the Kiwis in the semis in Mumbai. Though he removed David Warner on the second ball in the final, Shami failed to guide his team across the winning line.

That, however, was his last on-field appearance as an ankle injury ruled him out for the next 10-12 months.

(With inputs from agencies)