Shami takes 7 wickets in Ranji match amid fitness debate
What's the story
Mohammed Shami, the star Indian fast bowler, has made a sensational start to the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season. Playing for Bengal, the pacer claimed seven wickets in his team's opener against Uttarakhand at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. The performance comes amid questions over his fitness after he was left out of international games in recent months due to alleged poor physical fitness.
Spell
Shami's stellar performance in the match
In the first innings of the match, Shami bowled 14.5 overs and took three wickets for 37 runs. His brilliance meant Uttarakhand were all out for 213. Bengal posted 323/10 in response, taking a hefty lead. Shami claimed a four-fer in his second outing (4/38 from 24.4 overs) as Uttarakhand were dismissed for 265. Bengal now need 156 runs to win the game.
Career
350 FC wickets loading for Shami
Having played 91 FC games, Shami has raced to 347 wickets at an average of around 27, as per ESPNcricinfo. His stellar record now features 19 four-fers besides 12 five-wicket hauls (10WM: 2). Notably, Shami has picked 229 Test wickets in 64 matches for Team India at an average of 27.71 runs per wicket. Six of his fifers have come in Test cricket.
Fitness debate
Shami addresses fitness concerns ahead of match
Ahead of the match against Uttarakhand, Shami had addressed the fitness concerns. "If fitness is an issue, I shouldn't be playing for Bengal. I've played Champions Trophy 2025, IPL 2025, Duleep Trophy, and I'm in good touch," he said. This statement came amid his exclusion from India's white-ball squads for the upcoming Australia tour. Notably, Shami last played for India since March this year.
Selector's stance
Selectors not convinced by Shami's claims
However, selector Ajit Agarkar didn't seem convinced by Shami's claims. He said at a news channel event, "If he says something, we will talk about it. We said before the England tour that if he was fit, he would have been there." He further added that they wanted to take him to Australia last time but he wasn't fully fit.