Ranji Trophy: Day 1 Highlights from Holkar Cricket Stadium – Bengal vs. Madhya Pradesh
First Match Of Shami After Returning:
On the first day of the Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, played at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, India’s fast bowler Mohammed Shami made his return to competitive cricket after nearly a year. Shami bowled 10 overs, finishing with figures of 10-1-34-0. Before Injuries, Last Time when he played for the country was in the ODI World Cup 2023 Final between India and Australia.
Post-injury Performance:
Despite his comeback, Shami struggled to take a wicket in his 10-over spell, as Bengal faced challenges against Madhya Pradesh in this Group C clash. Bengal needs a win to keep their quarter-final hopes alive, but they are in a tough position.
Madhya Pradesh opted to bat first and ended Day 1 at 103/1 after dismissing Bengal for 228 in their first innings. Shami, who has been recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that required surgery, started with an initial spell where he conceded 16 runs in four overs, including three boundaries. His second spell saw him give away 18 runs in six overs. The BCCI is closely monitoring his fitness, as a strong performance could see him included in India’s squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia starting on November 22.
Notably, Shami played was accompanied by his younger brother, Mohammed Kaif who took the only wicket for Bengal, dismissing Opener Of Madhya Pradesh, Himanshu Mantri for 13. Opener Shubhranshu Senapati remained unbeaten on 44 from 103 balls, while Rajat Patidar scored 41 not out from 55 balls.
Earlier, Bengal’s top order struggled. Shubham Dey and Rohit Kumar were dismissed without scoring, and Sudip Chatterjee (15) and Sudip Gharami (10) also found it tough, bringing Bengal’s score to 42/4. Shahbaz Ahmed’s crucial knock of 92 and a 96-run partnership with captain Anustup Majumdar (who also made a valuable contribution) helped Bengal reach a respectable total. Unfortunately, Shahbaz fell just short of a century, and after his dismissal, Shami and Kaif shared a rare moment on the field as a sibling pair.
For Madhya Pradesh, Aryan Pandey led the bowling attack with impressive figures of 4/47, while left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya provided solid support, taking 4/84.