Ignored Indian Opener Named Bengal's Captain; Shami Named In Squad Too

Abhimanyu Easwaran has a golden opportunity to show his mentality, as the ignored Indian opener has been named as Bengal’s new captain, on October 10 (Friday). Easwaran has been elevated as Bengal’s captain, replacing the state’s experienced campaigner Anustup Majumdar at the reins.

According to ESPNCricinfo, it was Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly’s decision to appoint Easwaran as the skipper. Meanwhile, Bengal’s bowling unit has been bolstered by the return of Mohammed Shami, who has a point or two to prove to the Indian selectors. 

Shami has barely played any games since the 2025 Champions Trophy win against New Zealand. The pacer was ignored from India’s ODI setup for their upcoming series against Australia recently. Alongside Shami, Bengal will also have the pace trio of Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Ishan Porel, making them a side to look out for.

While Akash Deep played a major role in India’s win across the two Tests in England, Mukesh was part of India A setup for their series against England. Later, Mukesh also took part in East Zone’s Duleep Trophy clash against North Zone before injuring himself. 

Bengal will open their Ranji Trophy 2025 campaign against Uttarakhand before facing tough fixtures in the form of Assam, Haryana and Gujarat in Group C.