Ranji Trophy: Mohammed Shami's fifer helps Bengal beat Gujarat
What's the story
Mohammed Shami's exceptional bowling performance led Bengal to a stunning 141-run victory over Gujarat in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. The match, held at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, saw Shami claim five wickets for just 38 runs in the second innings. Chasing 327, Gujarat were bowled out for 185 on Day 4. Shami also bowled an impressive spell in the first innings, taking 3/44.
Match
How the match panned out
Bengal, led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, scored 279 after Gujarat elected to field in Kolkata. Siddharth Desai took four wickets. Despite posting a modest score, Bengal rode on Shahbaz Ahmed's six-fer and bowled Gujarat out for 167. Shami also contributed with three wickets. Bengal, who earned a substantial lead, declared their second innings at 214/8, with Siddharth Desai taking a fifer. Gujarat, chasing 327, were cruising at 153/2 before facing a middle-order collapse. Shami and Ahmed negated Urvil Patel's hundred.
Stats
Shami gets past 350 FC wickets
Shami dismissed opener Abhishek Desai on the final innings' first ball. He then removed Vishal Jayswal, Jaymeet Patel, Siddharth Desai, and Arzan Nagwaswalla to trigger Gujarat's collapse. Shami took five wickets for 35 runs in 10 overs, including a maiden. Playing his 92nd First-Class match, the Indian pacer has raced past 350 wickets. He claimed his 13th fifer in red-ball cricket. Notably, 229 of his wickets have come for India in Tests.
Selection snub
National selection snub raises questions
Shami, who has looked solid in the ongoing Ranji season, has been omitted from the national selection of late. His Test prospects took a major hit after being left out of the England and West Indies Test series this year. While the BCCI is still fretting over Shami's fitness after his successful surgery, the pacer continues to impress on the field.
Journey
Journey through domestic season
After a successful Champions Trophy stint, Shami played a full Indian Premier League season and represented East Zone in the Duleep Trophy. However, due to the knockout format of the tournament, he could only play one game before his team was knocked out in the quarterfinals. Despite these setbacks, Shami's form remained strong as he led Bengal to an eight-wicket win over Uttarakhand with impressive figures of 3/37 and 4/38.