Shami Out, Saha and Chatterjee Return for Bengal Ranji Opener

Mohammed Shami Sidelined, Saha and Chatterjee Return for Bengal Ranji Opener

Premier Indian pacer Mohammed Shami will miss Bengal's first two Ranji Trophy matches due to an ankle injury. The veteran duo of Wriddhiman Saha and Sudip Chatterjee, however, have returned to the side after a brief hiatus.

Shami, who last played in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, underwent surgery earlier this year and is still recovering. He had expressed his desire to play domestic cricket to assess his fitness before returning to international duty.

"If I need to play domestic cricket to test my fitness, I will," Shami had said. "What matters most is that I am fully ready for whatever comes next, regardless of the opposition or format."

Saha, who made his Bengal debut in 2007, joined Tripura as a mentor and player in 2022 following a fallout with the Cricket Association of Bengal officials. Chatterjee, another experienced campaigner, has also returned to the fold.

Under the leadership of captain Anustup Majumdar, the 19-member Bengal squad has departed for Lucknow, where they will face Uttar Pradesh in their opening match on October 11. Bengal will then host Bihar in the second round.

Squad:

* Anustup Majumdar (captain)

* Abhimanyu Easwaran

* Sudip Gharami

* Sudip Chatterjee

* Wriddhiman Saha

* Shahbaz Ahmed

* Abishek Porel

* Writtick Chatterjee

* Avilin Ghosh

* Shuvam Dey

* Akash Deep

* Mukesh Kumar

* Suraj Jaiswal

* Mohd Kaif

* Pradipta Pramanik

* Aamir Gani

* Yudhajit Guha

* Rohit Kumar

* Rishav Vivek

Tags: #MohammedShami, #WriddhimanSaha, #SudipChatterjee, #BengalRanjiTrophy, #DomesticCricket