Mohammad Shami's much-awaited return to competitive cricket is set to be delayed further as report suggests that the senior pacer has not been included in Bengal’s squad for the first two Ranji Trophy matches.
Shami has been out of action since the ODI World Cup final in November last year. He underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year. As a result, he missed the home Test series against England, followed by the IPL and the T20 World Cup.
The right-arm quick was expected to return to action in the first round of the Ranji Trophy before travelling with the Indian team to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
However, a PTI report published in PTI claims that Shami continues to recover from an ankle injury and remains sidelined for Bengal’s opening Ranji Trophy fixtures.
Earlier, Shami had expressed his willingness to play domestic cricket as a way to evaluate his fitness before returning to the international arena.
"I definitely want to play for Bengal next season. I am looking forward to play two to three matches for Bengal in Ranji. It will help me to make a comeback in international cricket. I have been training at the NCA and I want to play as and when I am a 100 percent fit," Shami had said while speaking at Cricket Association of Bengal’s Annual Award Ceremony last month.
However, the Bengal team will have to navigate the early stages of the season without the services of India’s leading fast bowler.
While Shami’s absence will be felt, Bengal’s squad has been bolstered by the return of two experienced players – Wriddhiman Saha and Sudip Chatterjee.
Notably, Saha is returning to Bengal after spending two seasons with Tripura. He had parted ways with Bengal in 2022-23 following a tussle with Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials.
Bengal is set to face Uttar Pradesh in their first match of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, starting on October 11 in Lucknow.
Bengal Squad: Anustup Majumdar (captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, Sudip Chatterjee, Wriddhiman Saha, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abishek Porel, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Suraj Jaiswal, Mohd Kaif, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Yudhajit Guha, Rohit Kumar and Rishav Vivek.
