"100% Pain Free" Mohammed Shami Won't Play In Bengal's Next Game On BCCI's Advice? Report Reveals

India fast-bowler Mohammed Shami, who is recovering from an ankle injury, will not play in Bengal's upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, starting from November 6 in Bengaluru. The squad led by Anustup Majumdar, announced on Saturday, did not include Shami's name. Though the Bengal squad remains unchanged for the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh, there is a high likelihood of Shami taking part in the match scheduled to begin from November 13 at Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Bengal, with coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla at the helm, holds the fourth spot in Elite Group C with five points after three Ranji Trophy matches.

"Shami will not be playing the Bengal game against Karnataka, and most probably, he will play the match against Madhya Pradesh. The information received from the BCCI Centre of Excellence was that he will not be rushed into action. There have also been thoughts that Shami wants to do his competitive cricket return at his pace and comfort," said sources to IANS.

Shami, who's taken 229 wickets in 64 Tests, bowled in the Indian team nets to Shubman Gill and a padded-up assistant coach Abhishek Nayar at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after they lost the Test series opener to New Zealand by eight wickets on October 20.

The very next day, Shami said at a promotional event at Gurugram that he was 100% pain-free and expressed his keen interest in playing a few domestic matches. It will be interesting to see if Shami will be available for the Indian team through the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at Brisbane, starting from December 14.

Shami's last competitive cricket match was when India played the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup final against Australia at Ahmedabad on November 19, 2023. In that