Mohammed Shami takes step closer to IND vs AUS Tests, included in Bengal squad for SMAT

India pacer Mohammed Shami has taken another step towards making it to the IND vs AUS Test series, as he has been included in Bengals 22-member squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, that begins on November 23. The 34-year-old, who was away from competitive cricket for a year, recently made a comeback in the Ranji Trophy match vs Bengal, where he ended up picking seven wickets, and scored 37 runs too.

Mohammed Shami Closer to IND vs AUS Tests

Meanwhile, Bengal start their campaign against Punjab, in Rajkot on Saturday. Apart from that, Sudip Gharami was picked as the skipper of a formiddable side, that also included dasher Abhishek Porel and pacer Ishan Porel, who is a well-known name in Indian domestic circuit.

It is expected that the members of the selection committee will keep a close on how Shami progresses in the matches he plays. There were reports that suggested, he would join Team India before the start of the second IND vs AUS Tests. Shami has excellent record in Tests as well, where in 64 Tests, he has picked up 229 wickets.

His addition to the team would also mean, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah would get ample support, since Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep haven’t been in the best of forms in the last few matches.

Bengal Squad for SMAT

Bengal Squad: Sudip Kr Gharami (captain), Mohammad Shami, Abhishek Porel (WK), Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Writtick Chatterjee, Ritwick Roy Chowdhury, Shakir Habib Gandhi (WK), Ranjot Singh Khaira, Prayas Ray Barman, Agniv Pan (WK), Pradipta Pramanik, Saksham Chaudhary, Ishan Porel, Md Kaif, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Sayan Ghosh, Kanishk Seth, Soummyadip Mandal.