Mohammed Shami makes a quiet comeback on Day 1 of Bengal's Ranji Trophy match against MP

The opening day of the Ranji Trophy fixture between Madhya Pradesh and Bengal in Indore will have received a lot more attention than what is usual for a match in the early stages of India’s premier domestic event. The Elite Group C match between former champions MP and Bengal at the Holkar Stadium would have been keenly followed by the Indian team management, including captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, along with the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee and the VVS Laxman-led National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Senior pacer Mohammed Shami, after all, was making his first competitive appearance in a year after he was included in Bengal’s squad for the fifth round of matches in the Ranji Trophy that got underway on Wednesday. Shami, however, didn’t quite set the stage on fire on Day 1 and made a relatively quiet comeback, getting dismissed for 2 before sending down 10 wicketless overs in which he conceded 34 runs.

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Bengal had been bowled out for 228 after they were invited to bat by the Shubham Sharma-led hosts, with seamer Aryan Pandey (4/47) and left-arm spinner Kulwant Khejroliya (4/84) collecting four wickets each.

The visitors would have struggled to cross the 200-mark had it not been for all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed’s attacking 92 off 80 balls that contained 16 fours and a six. Shahbaz added 96 for the sixth wicket with skipper Anustup Majumdar, who chipped in with a handy knock of 44 off 69 balls that contained six fours and a six.

Shahbaz was dismissed by Pandey shortly after guiding Bengal past 200 while Shami was the last man dismissed.

Madhya Pradesh, in reply, were firmly poised to gain a first innings lead after ending the day on 103/1. Subranshu Senapati and Rajat Patidar remained unbeaten on 44 and 41 respectively, stitching together an unbroken 52-run partnership for the second wicket.

Shami’s last appearance in any form of the game was in the ICC World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad on 19 November last year. Shami had finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker, but had to undergo a surgery on his Achilles tendon three months later.

He had been undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA in Bengaluru and had returned to bowling in the nets, but was not named in India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia due to a swollen knee that he had developed during his rehab recently.

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Shami, however, can still board the flight to Australia if he is able to prove his fitness in the ongoing Ranji game against MP.