Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla stated that star pacer Mohammed Shami is fit but ‘himself asked to be rested’ in the second Elite Group C Ranji Trophy 2026-27 match against Services in Delhi.
Just hours after being left out of India’s teams for the trip to New Zealand, Shami, who claimed four wickets in the first innings of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy opener in Kalyani, sparked some controversy by not being included in the 11. Shami last participated in the 2025 Champions Trophy for India. Since then, Shami has refuted the BCCI selectors’ claim that he is not physically fit to represent the nation once more.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla On Shami’s Absence
” is fit; he was rested. He bowled a lot of overs against Delhi last round. He himself asked to be rested. He is a cheetah. Shami resting also gives us options to try fresh faces,” Shukla said on Sunday.
Bengal vs Services
With 15 wickets taken on Monday in a thrilling second day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match, Bengal are now in control of the match vs Services. With two days remaining, Services need another 197 runs to win after reaching 12 without a loss in their second innings at stumps.
After the hosts had managed 184, Bengal’s spinners dominated the visitors’ opening innings, knocking them out for 122 in 62.2 overs. In his debut game since his injury recovery, Shahbaz Ahmed scored 4/35 in 19 overs, while off-spinner Aamir Gani claimed four wickets despite giving up 31 runs. The final two wickets were taken for 31 runs by Pradipta Pramanik.
Services captain Rajat Paliwal persevered through the collapse and finished undefeated on 48 off 129 deliveries. Nitin Tanwar scored 16 and Shubham Rohilla scored 17. Bengal was dismissed for 146 in 52.5 overs after losing their final nine wickets cheaply despite leading by 62 runs in the first innings of their second match. Services now had a goal of 209.
Rahul Singh, a left-arm spinner, spearheaded the visitors’ comeback with 5/39 in 15.5 overs. Arjun Sharma and Pulkit Narang each claimed two wickets to limit Bengal’s lead. Bengal’s top scorer was captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (30), followed by wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel (25) and Sudip Kumar Gharami (23). Services went on to negotiate the last five overs of the day without losing a wicket. The visitors concluded at 12/0, maintaining their position ahead of the final two days, with Rohilla undefeated on nine and Tanwar on three.