Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami produced a breathtaking spell of fast bowling to turn the tide for Bengal against Uttarakhand on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C encounter at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Shami claimed three wickets in four balls, helping Bengal bundle out Uttarakhand for just 213 runs after a strong start by the visitors.
The 35-year-old seamer, returning for his first Ranji match of the season, went wicketless in his initial 14 overs. However, with the fading light and a hint of reverse swing, Shami rediscovered his vintage rhythm. His fiery fifth spell saw him knock over Janmejay Joshi with a sharp in-swinger before dismissing Rajan Kumar off the next delivery. He narrowly missed a hat-trick but soon cleaned up Devendra Singh Bora, completing a remarkable late burst to finish with 3 for 37 from 14.5 overs.
Before Shami’s magic, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal stood out with 4 for 54, maintaining consistent pressure alongside Ishan Porel, who grabbed 3 for 40, including the crucial wicket of Uttarakhand’s top-scorer Bhupen Lalwani (71 off 128 balls). Lalwani’s dismissal triggered a collapse, with Uttarakhand losing four wickets for just 34 runs.
For Shami, this performance marks an important comeback after a challenging year on the sidelines following leg surgery. The leading wicket-taker of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Shami has missed several tours since his recovery, including the Asia Cup and England Test series, and was not picked for the upcoming Australia white-ball matches.
In response, Bengal faced an early blow when captain Abhimanyu Easwaran was dismissed for a golden duck, dragging one onto his stumps on the very first ball. Bengal ended Day 1 at 8 for 1, still trailing by 205 runs, with Sudip Chatterjee (1)* and Sudip Kumar Gharami (7)* at the crease.
The Eden Gardens pitch, which was expected to have a grassy layer, was surprisingly stripped bare on match day — a move that raised eyebrows considering Bengal fielded a four-seamer attack. Despite the tricky start with the bat, the hosts will hope their experienced middle order can steady the innings when play resumes on Day 2.