Mohammed Shami back with a bang, picks up a 4-wicket haul in 2024-25 Ranji Trophy after a year-long gap

Mohammed Shami starred with the ball on his comeback to competitive cricket after a year-long gap. The speedster bagged a four-wicket haul for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh. He helped Bengal take a 67-run first-innings lead as Madhya Pradesh were bundled out for 167 in the first innings in response to 228.

Shami took the wicket of skipper Shubman Sharma before wrapping up the tail to finish with figures of 4/54, including four maidens in 19 overs. This came days after he confirmed his comeback after 360 days on social media.

Shami was playing his first game following the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia. He had sustained an injury during the ICC event, which forced him to undergo ankle surgery and take part in extended rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Unfortunately, Shami has been ruled out for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy as he failed to recover on time.

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“We don’t want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia” – Rohit Sharma on Mohammed Shami’s absence for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India captain Rohit Sharma recently explained why Mohammed Shami didn’t find a place in the squad for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He said (via ESPNcricinfo):

“We want him to be fit; we want him to be 100%. More than anything else, we don't want to bring an undercooked Shami to Australia. That is not going to be the right decision for us."

"He has not played any cricket for over a year. It is quite tough for a fast bowler to have missed so much of cricket and then suddenly to come out and be at his best. It is not ideal. We will want to give him enough time to recover, and be 100% fit,” Rohit added.

The BCCI has picked Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep among the pace attack.

It remains to be seen whether Mohammed Shami gets a call after the first few Tests. The 34-year-old has 31 wickets in eight Tests Down Under, including two five-wicket hauls. The first Test of the five-match series will kick-start in Perth on November 22.