Ranji Trophy 2022 | Saha to play QFs for Bengal; Shami awaits BCCI clearance

Wriddhiman Saha will be seen in action playing for Bengal in their Ranji Trophy 2022 quarter-finals tie against Jharkhand. The keeper had earlier opted to sit out the Ranji matches after being dropped from the Indian Test squad ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka.

Apart from Saha, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has named Mohammed Shami in their initial squad. However, the Indian pacer will depend on clearance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and national men's head coach Rahul Dravid. The clash will take place at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 6.

The 37-year-old, after quite a tumultuous past few months, is witnessing an outstanding Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Gujarat Titans (GT). He has scored 281 runs from eight matches with a strike rate of 123.24, including three fifties.

Shami is having a wonderful time with the ball himself, playing for the same franchise as his Bengal teammate. He has picked up 18 wickets from 13 games at an impressive average of 21.61.

The Bengal side will be captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran, who will marshall the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed, Ishan Porel, Sudip Chatterjee, and Writtick Chatterjee. The selectors have also included Shami's younger brother Mohammed Kaif in the squad, apart from veterans Nilkantha Das and Sudip Gharami.

Anustup Majumdar is the leading scorer for Bengal this season with 242 runs, closely followed by Easwaran with 235. Mukesh Kumar has picked the most wicket for Bengal this season (15), while Ishan is the second-best (14).

Shahbaz has been their best player, showcasing his all-rounder skills to perfection. He has with the bat, contributed 220 runs, and snapped eight wickets with the ball.

Former Indian player and current junior state sports minister Manoj Tiwary have also been included. Tiwary has so far played three matches and is averaging a lowly 19.16.

Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohammed Shami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhishek Raman, Writtick Chatterjee, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Ishan Porel, Koushik Ghosh, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury, Pradipta Pramanik, Karan Lal, Nilkantha Das, Sudip Gharami, Abhishek Porel, Mohammed Kaif and Ankit Mishra.