Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has been named in Bengal’s squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), marking another significant step in his strong return to domestic cricket. Shami’s inclusion follows an impressive season in which he has picked up 36 wickets across formats, playing a crucial role for Bengal after making a comeback from a lengthy injury lay-off.

Despite missing selection for the recent international series against South Africa and facing questions surrounding his fitness, Shami has consistently delivered match-winning performances for his state side in both red- and white-ball cricket.

His leadership with the ball has been instrumental in Bengal’s dominant Ranji Trophy campaign, where the team remains unbeaten after five matches. With three outright victories, Bengal currently sit at the top of Group C.

Shami began his domestic season with a strong showing in the Ranji Trophy, claiming 20 wickets in four matches at an impressive average of 18.60. He carried that form into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, emerging as Bengal’s leading wicket-taker with 16 scalps from seven matches at an outstanding average of 14.93.

For the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Shami will lead a formidable three-man pace attack alongside fellow India internationals Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, giving Bengal a significant edge in bowling depth.

The squad will be captained by top-order batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket.

Bengal have been placed in Elite Group B and will begin their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign against Vidarbha on December 24 in Rajkot.

The group also features Assam, Baroda, Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh.

The tournament will be staged across multiple venues, with all Group B matches scheduled to be played in Rajkot. The knockout stages will take place at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence from January 12 to 18.

Bengal’s squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy:

Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Anustup Majumdar, Abishek Porel (WK), Sudip Kr Gharami, Sumanta Gupta, Sumit Nag (WK), Chandrahas Dash, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karan Lal, Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Sayan Ghosh, Ravi Kumar, Aamir Gani, Vishal Bhati, Ankit Mishra