Hyderabad: Indian pacer Mohammed Shami who is eyeing a comeback to the national squad has been named in the Bengal’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The right-arm pacer is looking to prove his fitness for the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy where the series is levelled at 1-1.
India captain Rohit Sharma had mentioned ahead of the Adelaide Test that the "door is very much open" for the 34-year-old to join the squad in Australia. However, he had mentioned concern regarding the fitness of the star pacer. India are currently playing the third Test of the series while the fourth fixture will commence on December 26 in Melbourne.
Mohd Shami is set to participate in the VHT, which suggests he is unlikely to travel to Australia.
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) December 14, 2024
There were few reports that he had a short argument with Rohit Sharma over fitness concerns during a video call regarding his consideration for the BGT.
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Shami last played for India at the 2023 World Cup but has been out of the side due to fitness issues after that. He had an ankle surgery in February. He returned to action in the Ranji Trophy and took seven wickets against Madhya Pradesh.
He then featured in all nine matches for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy taking 11 wickets with an economy of 7.85. However, his knee got swollen during the tournament which hampered his preparation for the return to the national side.
🚨 MOHAMMED SHAMI IN VIJAY HAZARE TROPHY 🚨
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 14, 2024
- Shami will be playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bengal starting on December 21st. pic.twitter.com/7iogfxaKKy
Apart from Shami, Mukesh Kumar will also feature in the Bengal side captained by Sudip Kumar Gharami. The team will kick off their campaign against Delhi in Hyderabad from December 21.
Squad: Sudip Kumar Gharami (capt), Mohammed Shami, Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel (wk), Sudip Chatterjee, Karan Lal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Sumanta Gupta, Subham Chatterjee, Ranjot Singh Khaira, Pradipta Pramanik, Kaushik Maity, Vikas Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Saksham Chaudhary, Rohit Kumar, Mohammed Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth
