Mohammed Shami turns things upside down with 3 wickets in 4 balls; Abhimanyu Easwaran gets golden duck in Ranji Trophy

Shami, playing his first Ranji match of the season, endured a frustrating day for most parts — toiling through four largely ineffective spells and going wicketless in his first 14 overs. But under the fading Kolkata sun and with reverse swing finally on offer, the 35-year-old rolled back the years with a sensational burst that cleaned up the Uttarakhand tail.

Three Wickets in Four Balls: A Flash of Vintage Shami

Brought back into the attack by captain Abhimanyu Easwaran for a fifth spell, Shami struck gold almost instantly. He first knocked over Janmejay Joshi with a sharp in-swinger that clattered into the middle stump. Off the very next ball, he found Rajan Kumar’s outside edge. After narrowly missing out on a hat-trick, Shami returned to castle Devendra Singh Bora with a full, reversing delivery — finishing with figures of 3 for 37 from 14.5 overs.

It was a dramatic turnaround for Shami, who had looked far from his best for most of the day, on a dry, grassless Eden pitch that offered little for the seamers. His late burst helped Bengal wrap up the Uttarakhand innings in the 73rd over, just when the visitors’ lower-order had started to frustrate the hosts.

The performance comes at a critical time for Shami, who has been on the sidelines of the national setup since undergoing leg surgery in 2024. The leading wicket-taker of the 2023 ODI World Cup last played for India in their Champions Trophy win earlier this year, before a disappointing IPL campaign saw him fall out of favour. He has since missed the England Tests, the Asia Cup, the West Indies tour, and is not part of the squad for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia.

Easwaran's Golden Duck Puts Bengal on Backfoot

Bengal’s response with the bat was far from ideal. Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran — tipped to be in contention for India’s Test squad — was dismissed off the very first ball of the innings, dragging one onto his stumps to hand Uttarakhand an early breakthrough.

The hosts ended Day 1 at a shaky 8 for 1 in five overs, with Sudip Chatterjee (1*) and Sudip Kumar Gharami (7*) at the crease. Bengal trail by 205 runs heading into Day 2.

Suraj Jaiswal, Ishan Porel Lead Bowling Effort

Before Shami’s late intervention, it was young pacer Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal who kept Bengal in the hunt. The 25-year-old impressed with 4 for 54, showcasing good pace and late movement. Ishan Porel supported well with 3 for 40, including the key wicket of Uttarakhand’s top scorer Bhupen Lalwani, who made a gritty 71 off 128 balls.

Lalwani’s dismissal triggered a late collapse, with Uttarakhand losing their last four wickets for just 34 runs — a slide that Shami capitalised on.

Pitch Switch Raises Eyebrows

Interestingly, the Eden Gardens surface — green on the eve of the match — was stripped of grass on match day, a decision that surprised many, especially after Bengal opted for a four-man pace attack. Despite the conditions, the hosts will now bank on their experienced and emerging batters to recover on Day 2 after a stuttering start to their innings.

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