Mohammed Shami ignites BGT dream with four-fer against MP

Playing his first representative game since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final against Australia, Mohammed Shami staged a fine comeback with a four-wicket haul against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. 

Shami managed to bowl 19 overs, giving away 54 runs during the innings and dismissed Shubham Sharma, Saransh Jain, Kumar Kartikeya, and Kulwant Khejroliya in Madhya Pradesh’s first innings, with his sibling Kaif picking up two wickets of his own.

Shami was not named in India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that starts on November 22 in Perth, but his performance fuels the fire that he may have a part to play in the series at some point. With the Ranji Trophy season being split into two halves, the white-ball season will follow right after Bengal’s match against Madhya Pradesh, and hence, Shami will not get a chance to play another Ranji game before the mega series Down Under.

Right after the World Cup in 2023, Shami was sidelined with an ankle injury and had to undergo surgery on his right foot in March earlier this year. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru took care of his rehabilitation program before clearing him to represent Bengal in the Ranji clash. 

The Indian team management will keep a close eye on the speedster’s progress, with him expected to play a big role in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Currently, India have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana in the squad alongside Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, and Khaleel Ahmed in the reserves.

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