Mohammad Shami Returns to Action: Bengal's Star Bowler Set for Vijay Hazare Trophy
Mohammad Shami's Comeback in Domestic Cricket
Kolkata: Mohammad Shami, the Indian pacer who has recently fallen out of favor, has made a notable impact in domestic cricket, claiming 36 wickets across various formats. He has been included in Bengal's squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament.
After a significant injury layoff, Shami has made a strong comeback, although he was not selected for the recent series against South Africa.
His fitness has been a topic of discussion, especially after missing out on national selection.
Despite this, Shami has excelled in domestic competitions, starting with the Ranji Trophy where he took 20 wickets in four matches at an impressive average of 18.60, including a standout performance of 5/38. Bengal remains unbeaten in five matches, leading Group C with three outright victories.
Continuing his form, Shami was the top wicket-taker for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, securing 16 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.93.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he will lead Bengal's pace attack, which also features fellow Indian bowlers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar.
The squad announced on Friday sees top-order batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran taking on the captaincy role.
Bengal is placed in Elite Group B and will kick off their campaign against Vidarbha in Rajkot on December 24. Other teams in the group include Assam, Baroda, Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh.
The tournament will take place in various locations, including Ahmedabad (Group A), Rajkot (Group B), Jaipur (Group C), and Alur (Group D), with the knockout stages hosted at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence from January 12-18.
Bengal Squad:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel (WK), Sudip Kr Gharami, Sumanta Gupta, Sumit Nag (WK), Chandrahas Dash, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Mohammad Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Sayan Ghosh, Ravi Kumar, Aamir Gani, Vishal Bhati, Ankit Mishra.