Cricket Association of Bengal has selected a formidable Bengal squad for their Ranji Trophy opener against Uttarakhand, which will take place at Eden Gardens.
The speed trio of Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, and Mukesh Kumar are part of Bengal’s side, which will be captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran. This will undoubtedly make the past champions a heavy favourite to start the tournament with a victory.
Shami has lost favour in India’s scheme of things since participating in the Champions Trophy. Last week, he was dropped from the white-ball series against Australia after being passed over for the England Test tour due to selectors claiming he had not played enough first-class matches. Following his IPL appearance, Shami participated in the Duleep Trophy, bowling 34 overs for East Zone and taking just one wicket.
In addition to Shami, Akash will place a great deal of significance on the first few rounds. The seamer has struggled with a back issue in recent weeks, despite having an outstanding performance in England’s three Test matches.
After undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence and missing the Duleep Trophy, Akash now has a chance to advocate for his participation in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa in November. If Akash returns to the wickets, there is a good chance he would be included in the mix instead of Harshit Rana, especially because Kolkata is scheduled to host the first Test.
In addition to the two, Mukesh Kumar hopes to make a statement. Since he was also a member of India A, the team went on tour in England soon after the IPL, the pacer has not entirely disappeared from view. However, a hamstring injury during the Duleep Trophy limited his playing time.
In addition to the three players who have all represented India, Ishan Porel has found a spot in the Bengal team. Anustup Majumdar, a middle-order batsman, was previously appointed Bengal’s captain; however, he was replaced by Easwaran, a prolific scorer on the domestic circuit. He was sent back to the local circuit without playing despite being a member of the India Test team for the tour of Australia and England.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla, a former all-rounder for India, will remain the team’s head coach. As a member of Elite Group C, Bengal’s partners include Tripura, Uttarakhand, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, and Services and Railways. They will play Gujarat and Uttarakhand at home in their first two rounds.
Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (captain), Abishek Porel (vice-captain/wk), Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Sumanta Gupta, Saurabh Kumar Singh, Vishal Bhati, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Ishan Porel, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Rahul Prasad, Sumit Mohanta and Vikash Singh.