Mohammed Shami's international career falls in jeopardy as another team leaves him after India and GT

Veteran Indian pace bowler Mohammed Shami will miss Bengal's next two matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. Mohammed Shami hasn't been included in the Bengal squad for the next two matches against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh in the domestic red ball tournament.

Bengal, led by Anustup Majumdar, will take on Karnataka in their next match, starting on Wednesday, November 6. They will then face Madhya Pradesh, set to commence on November 13. These are their last two matches in the first phase of the Ranji season before the next phase starts from January 23.

Mohammed Shami's Comeback Delayed Further

Mohammed Shami had surgery in London back in February and was anticipated to return for the home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. However, his comeback was delayed due to a swollen knee. He was also not included in the 18-member squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

The 34-year-old bowler has not played competitive cricket since India's ODI World Cup final loss last November. He was set to make his comeback this week in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. Shami had planned to play for Bengal in the fourth and fifth rounds against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, respectively.

Bengal squad for fourth and fifth rounds of Ranji Trophy 2024-25:

Anustup Majumdar, Wriddhiman Saha, Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Kr Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Ishan Porel, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Md Kaif, Rohit Kumar, Rishav Vivek.

Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla On Mohammed Shami

Last week, it was reported that Mohammed Shami could be included in the Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if he proves his fitness in the Ranji Trophy. However, with his exclusion from the Ranji Trophy squad, the fast bowler is unlikely to be part of the squad for the upcoming Australia tour.

“We are hopeful that Shami will join us for games against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh," Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla told The Indian Express last week.

“He is a valuable player for India, and the team his service will be required for the Australia series. Recently, he mentioned how keen he is about playing a couple of Ranji games for Bengal before travelling to Australia. Good outings in the Ranji Trophy will be good for him ahead of the Australia tour and will be a big boost for us; our four key players are playing for India and India A," said Shukla.

The 34-year-old pace bowler has been sidelined from tournaments, including the IPL 2024 and the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which India won in June. Shami took 16 wickets in four matches during the BGT 2018-19 series. He had to miss the subsequent tour in 2020-21 after suffering an injury in the first Test.

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