According to Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, India’s premium pacer Mohammed Shami is ambitious to play two games in the Ranji Trophy before going to Australia for the 5-match Test series. He was expected to play for Bengal in the current season of Ranji Trophy 2024-25, though he has not played in the two games so far for not fully recovering.
Shukla recently gave an update on the availability of Shami, and stated that he would be missing the third match against Kerala as well. He did also state that Shami is most likely going to play in the fourth and fifth game against Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Shami is running out of time to be ready for the Test against Australia as of now.
“He is not available for this match (vs Kerala), but we are hopeful that Shami will join us for games against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh,” said Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
Shukla further put emphasis on Shami’s value to Indian team for Australia, and stated that it will benefit him if he plays a few Ranji Trophy games before the series.
“He is a valuable player for India and the team will require his service 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.
