Indore: India pacer Mohammed Shami returned wicket-less from his 10 overs in a subdued comeback to competitive cricket after 360 days as Bengal struggled in their Ranji Trophy Group C game against Madhya Pradesh here on Wednesday.
Electing to field first, MP were 103/1 at stumps after bowling out Bengal for 228 in their first innings. The visitors need an outright win to keep their slim quarterfinal hopes alive.
Bengal’s attack is depleted by injuries to Ishan Porel and Rishav Vivek, while Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep are on national duty. All eyes are now on Shami to not only prove his fitness but also rejuvenate his state team’s campaign.
Bowling on the Holkar Stadium green-top, the 34-year-old Shami, who was sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury on his left leg for which he underwent a surgery, returned figures of 10-1-34-0.
Shami, who was last seen in action in India’s ODI World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad on November 19 last year, bowled four overs in the first spell, giving away 16 runs. He conceded three fours and bowled 17 dot balls in that spell.
His second spell was slightly better with figures of 6-1-18-0. Shami’s fitness will be closely monitored by the BCCI think-tank, with hopes that a strong performance would secure him a spot in the Indian squad for the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, starting in Perth on November 22.
Shami was also seen for the first time playing with his younger brother Mohammed Kaif, who took the only wicket to fall in the MP innings, trapping opener Himanshu Mantri for 13.
But the other opener Shubhranshu Senapati showed resilience, and was batting on 44 from 103 balls at stumps, while India batter Rajat Patidar was 41 not out off 55 balls.
Earlier, Bengal’s top-order crumbled, with opener Shuvam Dey and No. 4 Rohit Kumar getting out for golden ducks, while Sudip Chatterjee (15), Sudip Gharami (10) also got out cheaply, leaving Bengal reeling at 42/4.
However, Shabaz Ahmed played a stellar knock, rescuing the team with a gritty fifty.
Bengal were 79/5 when Shahbaz joined skipper Anustup Majumdar to put together a crucial 96-run partnership.
After Anustup’s dismissal, Shahbaz (92) upped the ante and marched towards a second first-class century but fell short by eight runs, signalling the arrival of Shami who batted with his brother Kaif for the first time in a competitive match.
Aryan Pandey (4/47) was the pick of MP bowling, while left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya bagged 4/84.
Koushik’s five in a row
Karnataka seamer Vasuki Koushik claimed a five-wicket haul for the second consecutive match as Uttar Pradesh were bowled out for just 89 at Ekana Stadium.
Koushik finished with 5/20, following his 5/38 against Bengal in their previous game, marking his fourth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
Young pacer Vidyadhar Patil supported him well, taking 2/22, while debutant Yashovardhan Parantap chipped in with 1/19.
Together, the Karnataka pacers shared eight wickets as UP lasted just 40.3 overs.
In reply, Karnataka reached 127/5, led by a brisk 68 not out (77 balls) from wicketkeeper-batter Krishnan Shrijith.
Brief Scores
In Indore: Bengal 228; 51.2 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 92, Anustup Majumdar 44; Aryan Pandey 4/47, Kulwant Khejroliya 4/84). Madhya Pradesh 103/1; 30 overs.
In Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh 89; 40.3 overs (Sameer Rizvi 25; Vasuki Kaushik 5/20). Karnataka 127/5; 31 overs (Krishnan Shrijith 68 batting, Shreyas Gopal 14 batting).
In Mohali: Bihar 135; 56.2 overs (Ayush Loharuka 63; Sukhdeep Singh Bajwa 3/38) vs Punjab.
In Rohtak: Kerala 138/2; 54 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 55, Akshay Chandran 51 batting) vs Haryana.
