Indian pace veteran Mohammed Shami made a triumphant return to competitive cricket after a year-long injury layoff, taking seven wickets in Bengal's thrilling 11-run win over Madhya Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy match on Saturday.
Shami's performance included a four-wicket haul in the first innings, and he also contributed with the bat. His form is a positive sign for Team India, which is heading to Australia with a relatively inexperienced pace attack for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, starting next week in Perth.
In the match, Madhya Pradesh won the toss and elected to field first. Bengal posted a total of 228 runs, with Shahbaz Ahmed top-scoring with a quickfire 92 off 80 balls, including 16 fours and a six. Aryan Pandey (4/47) and Kulwant Khejroliya (4/84) were the standout bowlers for Madhya Pradesh.
In response, Madhya Pradesh were bowled out for 167 runs. Subhranshu Senapati (47 off 121 balls, with six fours) and Rajat Patidar (41 off 59 balls, with eight fours) were their leading scorers. Shami impressed with figures of 4/54, while Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal and Mohammed Kaif claimed two wickets each, and Rohit Kumar chipped in with one. Bengal secured a 61-run first-innings lead.
Bengal capitalised on their advantage in the second innings, scoring 276 runs. Writtick Chatterjee (52 off 106 balls, with six fours) and Wriddhiman Saha (44 off 115 balls, with three fours) were the top scorers, while Shami contributed a vital 37 off 36 balls, including two fours and two sixes. This set a target of 338 runs for Madhya Pradesh.
In their chase, Madhya Pradesh fell agonisingly short, bowled out for 326 runs. Skipper Shubham Sharma (61 off 116 balls, with six fours), Venkatesh Iyer (53 off 95 balls, with eight fours), and Subhranshu Senapati (50 off 110 balls, with six fours) scored half-centuries, but the rest of the batting line-up faltered.
Shami, though expensive in the second innings, took 3/102 in 24.2 overs. Shahbaz Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/48 and was adjudged 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance.
Shami's return to domestic cricket marks an important step in his comeback journey.
He had been in sensational form during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, finishing as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven matches at an average of 10.70, including three five-wicket hauls. His best performance came in the semi-final against New Zealand, where he claimed 7/57.
However, after India's heartbreaking loss to Australia in the final, the team redeemed themselves with a T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean, though Shami was forced to watch from the sidelines due to injury.
With his domestic cricket return, Shami will be looking to reclaim his spot in the Indian team ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League in 2025. If included in the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Shami's experience would be invaluable, particularly given India's inexperienced pace attack. The bowling line-up features Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and promising talents such as Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Akash Deep.
Shami has an impressive Test record in Australia, with 31 wickets in eight matches at an average of 32.16, including best figures of 6/56.
India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (Wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant (Wk), KL Rahul, Harshit Rana, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar.
