Follow UsMohammed Shami delivered a superb performance for Bengal in their Ranji Trophy win over Gujarat, and his coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla didn’t mince words when talking about his value. After helping Bengal to a comfortable victory by 141 runs at Eden Gardens, where he took 5/38, Shukla was all praise for Shami, who has been ignored by the national selectors recently.
“Mohammed Shami doesn’t need a certificate from anyone. He is a certificate in himself. He has the backing of his fans, media and the biggest selector of them all, who is right up there [God],” Shukla said after the match as quoted by The Indian Express.
Shami, who was overlooked for the recent Australia white-ball tour, used this match to stake his case once again. Reflecting on his mindset, he told reporters that he is ready to play again for India.
“A lot of hard work is there, and I believe luck too plays a part. Every person wants to play for the country. So, I am ready for that [again].
“My motivation is to stay fit and be available for the Indian team at all times. In the ground, I will continue to perform and the rest is on the selectors’ hands,” he added.
Speaking about his comeback from injury and his return to domestic cricket, Shami said that he had to go through a tough period where he missed some crucial game time.
“It’s a relief [comeback]. Mentally, physically, it feels very good, because you are coming back from such a difficult time (injury), and you stay on the ground after that,” the Bengal pacer said.
“After that, all the things… Ranji Trophy, domestic season, white ball cricket, then IPL, Champions Trophy, then Duleep Trophy, and now these two matches. So, the rhythm, the flow was there. Now it feels like cricket is still there [left in me].”
Shami finished with eight wickets in the match, taking his tally to 15 wickets from two Ranji games this season. With this victory, Bengal have won two games in a row in the current season of Ranji Trophy, having also beaten Uttarakhand earlier.