Mohammad Shami’s return to competitive cricket has been delayed further as he was not named in Bengal’s squad for the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. This also indicated that the premier Indian pacer might not be part of the Indian squad for the three-Test New Zealand series.
On Tuesday (October 8), the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) revealed the 19-man roster for the first two games of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.
Wriddhiman Saha, who made his debut for Bengal in 2007, is returning to the stateside after leaving in 2022 due to a disagreement with the Cricket Association of Bengal. After leaving Bengal, Saha took on the dual roles of mentor and player with Tripura.
Anustup Majumdar will captain the Bengal team in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy 2024-25, which will begin with a match against Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow on October 11, followed by a home game against Bihar on October 18 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Bengal has delivered solid results in recent Ranji seasons, and they have great hopes for this season with the return of senior players such as Wriddhiman Saha and Sudip Chatterjee. Indian pacers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar might be crucial for Bengal.
Mohammad Shami is not included in the Bengal Ranji Trophy squad
Mohammad Shami, India’s finest fast bowler, has been ruled out of Bengal’s first two Ranji Trophy games in 2024-25. According to rumors, Mohammad Shami would play at least one Ranji game to prove his fitness for Team India’s comeback.
However, Mohammad Shami will have to wait longer to return to action. According to the PTI, Mohammed Shami has been unable to reach full match fitness and has been pulled from the action. Mohammed Shami will miss Bengal’s first two Ranji Trophy 2024-25 matches due to his recuperation.
However, he is still not fit to play in the first-class tournament, which means that he is highly unlikely to play in home Tests against New Zealand.
Mohammad Shami stated: “If I need to play domestic cricket to test my fitness, I will. What matters most is being fully ready for whatever comes next, regardless of the opposition or format.”
The seasoned fast bowler has been rehabilitating from an ankle ailment that necessitated surgery earlier this year and has kept him out since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup final in India. Shami recently stated that he intends to use domestic cricket to measure his fitness before returning to the international scene.
Bengal Squad for Ranji Trophy 2024-25:
Anustup Majumdar (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Gharami, Sudip Chatterjee, Wriddhiman Saha, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shuvam Dey, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Suraj Jaiswal, Abishek Porel, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Mohammed Kaif, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Yudhajit Guha, Rohit Kumar and Rishav Vivek.