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Xtra Time Web Desk: Mohammed Shami's much-anticipated return to competitive cricket has been delayed further, as the star pacer remains absent from Bengal's squad for the upcoming fourth and fifth rounds of the 2024 Ranji Trophy. Bengal's coach, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, had previously shared that Shami was eager to participate in Ranji games to gain match fitness ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. However, Shami was not named in India's 18-member squad, as he is still recuperating from ankle surgery. Consequently, he will not feature in Bengal's matches against Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

"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.

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Why Shami's return was delayed?

Mohammed Shami’s recovery journey has faced additional setbacks since he last played in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The seasoned pacer underwent surgery in February to address an Achilles heel injury and has since been sidelined. Shami expressed regret to his fans and the BCCI for not achieving full fitness in time for India’s five-match Test series against Australia, where youngsters Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana were chosen in his stead.

Shortly after missing out on the Australia squad, Shami shared a video of himself training in the gym, reassuring fans that he is working daily on regaining his bowling fitness. Alongside the video, he shared a heartfelt message, promising a return to domestic red-ball cricket soon.

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Despite being anticipated to make his comeback in the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Shami faced yet another setback, this time due to a swollen knee, further delaying his return.

Bengal's Ranji Trophy squad

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.