Ranji Trophy: Shami to mark competitive cricket return after year-long gap

Premier Indian pacer Mohammed Shami will finally make a return to competitive cricket after nearly one year as he was drafted into the Bengal Ranji side on November 12 (Tuesday) for the clash against Madhya Pradesh. 

The  34-year-old, whose last outing in any form of cricket dates back to the 2023 ODI World Cup final on November 19 of last year, will face MP in a Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group C game from November 13 (Wednesday) in Indore. 

This comes as a big boost, not only for Bengal but also for the senior national team, which departed for their tour of Australia on Monday (November 11). The first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth begins on November 22.

This is going to be the last match of the Ranji Trophy before a break in which limited-overs cricket will be played in India. Shami, returning from injury, might just want to show that he is fit enough to spend four days on the field and, therefore, entice head Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the Indian management to pick him up for the remainder of the Australian tour. 

Shami, who has appeared in 15 Ranji Trophy matches and taken 65 wickets, last played in the tournament in 2018 where he represented Bengal against Kerala. 

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