Mohammed Shami to return to competitive cricket nearly after a year
Deccan ChronicleKolkata: Premier India pacer Mohammed Shami will make his much-anticipated return to competitive cricket after a hiatus of nearly a year through Bengal's Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh in Indore from Wednesday, announced Cricket Association of Bengal. "In a major boost to Indian cricket and the Bengal Ranji Trophy team, star pacer Mohammad Shami will make a comeback into competitive cricket for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Indore starting on Wednesday," CAB secretary Naresh Ojha said in a statement. India have opted for a largely untested pace attack for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with rookies such as Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna backing senior pros Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. There was intense speculation surrounding Shami's inclusion in the Indian squad to tour Australia but skipper Rohit Sharma struck down such thoughts saying he did not prefer taking an "undercooked" senior pacer Down Under.