Wriddhiman Saha and Mohammad Shami named to Bengal quarterfinal squad. Shami’s participation is subject to BCCI and India head coach Rahul Dravid’s approval.
Wriddhiman Saha has returned to the Bengal team three months after withdrawing from the league stage of the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season, just in time for the Bengal quarter-final against Jharkhand on June 6 in Bengaluru. The Cricket Association of Bengal has also added pacer Mohammed Shami to the squad (CAB). His participation, however, will be subject to the approval of the BCCI and head coach Rahul Dravid, taking into account his workload.
However, it is the return of the 37-year-old Saha that is causing a stir, given that he miss the league stage due to “personal reasons.” After Saha left out of India’s Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka. It reveal that head coach Dravid had informed him that he might not be in the plans going forward.
Saha has been a standout for the Gujarat Titans in the ongoing IPL 2022. The wicketkeeper batter has contributed crucial runs to the team’s victory. He has 281 runs at an average of 40.14 and a strike rate of 123.25 in just eight matches. His innings also include three half-centuries, one of which earned him Player of the Match honors.
Aside from Saha, Bengal has a second wicketkeeper in Abhishek Porel, who has performed admirably in his absence. Shreevats Goswami, the experience wicketkeeper, left out of the team yet again. Goswami is currently playing club cricket in England. Mohammed Kaif, Shami’s younger brother, and Ankit Mishra, a left-arm spinner who excelled at the Under-25 level, are also on the squad.
The BCCI will decide Mohammed Shami’s fate.
Shami has been a regular in the Indian Test squad, and the team will depart for England shortly after the IPL concludes. The two teams will play one Test match, which was postpone due to the Covid-19 scare last year. According to ESPNCricinfo, the decision on Shami’s inclusion in the Bengal Ranji team will be made by the BCCI and Dravid.
Bengal will face Jharkhand in the first quarterfinal, which will begin on June 6. The final Ranji Trophy 2021-22 game is set to begin on June 22.
Bengal quarterfinal squad Squad:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Mohammed Shami. Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhishek Raman, Writtick Chatterjee, Sayan Sekhar Mondal. Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Koushik Ghosh, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury. Pradipta Pramanik, Karan Lal, Nilkantha Das, Sudip Gharami, Abhishek Porel, Mohammed Kaif, Ankit Mishra
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