Bengal is set to suffer a triple blow in the second leg of Ranji Trophy which will commence on January 23. The team will be without the services of opener Abhimanyu Easwaran and pacers Akash Deep & Mohammed Shami. BEN are currently third on the standings in Group C, having won 1 out 5 matches in the first leg, while managing to draw on three occasions.
Triple blow for Bengal in Ranji Trophy second leg
Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran is set to miss the second leg of Ranji Trophy after sustaining a hairline fracture on his middle finger of his right hand. The batter, who has a prolific record in first-class cricket, sustained the injury while playing club cricket on his return from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With 7506 runs from 98 matches, Easwaran was arguably Bengal’s best batters. He last played for Bengal in the red-ball domestic tourney in October in the game against UP on October 14, 2024.
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Mohammed Shami, who is a part of IND vs ENG T20Is, will not be a part of the side for the second leg of the tournament. The veteran pacer is all set to make his return to international cricket after 14 months and will hence miss the second leg of the domestic tourney. The pacer’s last Ranji game for Bengal came in November against Madhya Pradesh where he picked up seven wickets in two innings and a quickfire 36-run knock off 37 deliveries. Shami will also be a part of IND vs ENG ODIs followed by ICC Champions Trophy. Hence, he won’t be a part of the domestic tournament’s second leg.
Akash Deep, who was a part of the Indian team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is also all but sure to miss the second leg of Ranji. The pacer is awaiting clearance from the NCA after suffering from a stiff back that also saw him miss the IND vs AUS 5th Test in Sydney. He was advised two weeks of rest by the BCCI medical team, as per news agency PTI. He had revealed that he would commence bowling again once the NCA asks him to do so.
