Experienced Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami brought back the memory of his calibre with an old-school style performance in the Ranji Trophy, scoring a five-wicket haul to help Bengal to their second win in a row this season. At the Eden Gardens, Shami grabbed 5/38 in the second innings as Bengal beat Gujarat by 141 runs in their Group C match. Shami's fast and furious spell not only made the victory official but also brought back the talk of him being left out of the Indian white-ball series against Australia, which is going on.
Coach Shukla backs Mohammed Shami, takes dig at selectors
Following the win, Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla lauded Shami’s brilliance and fitness while taking a veiled swipe at the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. “Mohammed Shami doesn’t need a certificate from anyone. He is a certificate in himself. He has the backing of his fans, media, and the biggest selector of them all, who is right up there (God),” Shukla said after the match, remarks widely interpreted as a pointed comment toward the national selectors.
Gujarat in their chase of a towering 327-run target, could not go past 185 and folded. Urvil Patel was the lone warrior with a fighting unbeaten 109. Shami was the main man to destroy the opponent's line-up with 5/38 and Shahbaz Ahmed, who had earlier decimated the Gujarat first innings with the help of a spell of 6/34, was instrumental in Bengal's taking a strong 112-run lead. Shami also had 3/44 in the first innings and thus earned 8/82 as his match figures.
This five-wicket haul was the first one that Shami accomplished in first-class cricket after 2021 when he secured 5/44 against South Africa in a Test match. After being the star of the show in India's 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, the pacer was put out of action due to a long injury before he got back to international action earlier this year. He was part of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy in February, his last outing for the national side.
Although he is not playing in the current Australia series, Shami has made a compelling argument for his selection through his domestic performance. He is now tied for third position among the top wicket-takers in this Ranji Trophy season with 15 wickets at an average of 10.46, thereby highlighting his continued ability and eagerness to perform.
