Comeback man Shami leads Bengal to thrilling win

PTI Indore: Mohammed Shami bowled 43.2 overs, took seven wickets and made a quickfire 36 runs on his first-class comeback to not only assure his boarding pass for the Australia series Down Under, but also guided Bengal to their first victory of this Ranji Trophy season against old nemesis Madhya Pradesh. Bengal in the last 15 years have always come a cropper against Madhya Pradesh. But the presence of Shami certainly lifted the team's morale as Bengal defended a 338-run target by bowling out the hosts for 326 in the post-lunch session here on Saturday to clinch six points with an 11-run victory.

While grabbing 3 for 102 in 24.2 overs in the second innings, Shami removed former MI player Kumar Kartikeya much to the joy of the Bengal dressing room which was desperate for full points. Bengal with 14 points are third in group C behind Haryana (20 points) and Kerala (18 points). With crucial points lost in two home matches due to inclement weather, Bengal turned to their best cricketer to save the day and making a return to the rigours of red ball cricket after one year, 'Lala' as his India teammates fondly refer to him, showed his class.