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India vs Australia, Test Series Prep: Mohammed Shami Ranji Trophy comeback in two Ranji Trophy matches to get himself ready for the much-anticipated India vs Australia Test series. After a tough year recovering from ankle surgery and battling through pain in the ODI World Cup 2023, Shami is finally gearing up for a powerful comeback in red-ball cricket. Shami Ranji Trophy comeback.
Shami’s Road to Recovery and Shami Ranji Trophy comeback
Bengal’s head coach, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, shared with The Indian Express that Shami will not play in the upcoming Kerala fixture but will be available for Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh matches. “Shami has been missed in Bengal’s lineup, but we’re excited to have him back for the Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh games,” Shukla confirmed.
Shami himself shared that he’s now pain-free after a prolonged period. Fans may recall his determination to play through the ODI World Cup despite his injury. Following India’s close defeat to Australia in the final, Shami underwent necessary surgery, hoping to return in time for the Bangladesh Test series. A few recovery setbacks pushed his return back, but he is now focused on regaining full match fitness.
Target: Australia
Shami’s primary goal? To be match-ready for India’s first Test against Australia on November 22 in Perth. His red-ball practice in the Ranji Trophy is set to be an ideal warm-up. Shukla elaborated, “With Shami in form, India’s pace attack will be even stronger. We’re happy he’s getting valuable game time in Ranji before such a major series.”
His commitment to the Bengal squad means Shami will miss India’s intrasquad matches. While most of the team heads to Australia on November 12, Shami will stay on to play the game against Madhya Pradesh, wrapping up his final practice on November 19 before joining his teammates down under.
Bengal’s Squad for Kerala Match
As Shami returns to top form, here’s the squad that Bengal will field in his absence: Sudip Chatterjee, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar (captain), Abishek Porel (wk), Wriddhiman Saha, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Kaif, Mukesh Kumar, Aamir Gani, Pradipta Pramanik, Yudhajit Guha, Shuvam Dey, Rishav Vivek, Avilin Ghosh, and Rohit Kumar.
With his comeback on the horizon, all eyes are on Shami’s Ranji performances as he prepares to face Australia in what promises to be an epic Test series.
