Ahead of the crucial Ranji Trophy opener, CAB President Sourav Ganguly’s presence at the Bengal senior men’s training session at Eden Gardens on Monday provided a significant morale boost for the players.
During the training and net session, Sourav not only observed the proceedings but also interacted with the coaching staff, Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, vice-captain Abishek Porel, and senior players individually.
After the training session, the former India captain motivated the players with inspiring words in the dressing room and wished the team success for the upcoming matches.
“We have a good all-round team. Starting the season well and on a positive note will be important. I wish the players the best for the matches and I am sure they will give their best on the field,” Ganguly told the media after the session.
Bengal will begin their Ranji Trophy campaign against Uttarakhand at the iconic Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
Bengal will be strengthened by the return of veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been out of India’s squad since the Champions Trophy. Shami will lead the pace attack alongside fellow India pacer Akash Deep.
Shami last played in the Duleep Trophy, where he bowled 34 overs for East Zone, taking only one wicket against North Zone.
“Shami’s inclusion is good, let him play. Would have been better if Mukesh (Kumar) was there. It’s a good bowling attack,” Ganguly commented on Bengal’s pace attack.
Mukesh Kumar is currently undergoing rehab following a groin injury. He, along with spin bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, has been ruled out for “at least three matches” for Bengal.
India and Bengal star fast bowler Akash Deep, who will be a key player in the bowling department, said, “Bengal has one of the best bowling line-up in domestic circuit. We are confident of starting the season positively and we will give our best to bag glory for Bengal. I am also looking forward to bowl alongside Md Shami and learn from him.”
Laxmi Ratan Shukla is the head coach of the team, with Arup Bhattacharjee and Shib Shankar Paul as coaches, and Charanjit Singh Matharu as the fielding coach.
Bengal will start their Ranji Trophy campaign against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens on October 15, followed by their second match at home against Gujarat on October 25.
Bengal Squad for Ranji Trophy:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (captain), Abishek Porel (vice-captain/WK), Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sudip Chatterjee, Sumanta Gupta, Saurabh Kr Singh, Vishal Bhati, Md Shami, Akash Deep, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Shakir Habib Gandhi (WK), Ishan Porel, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Rahul Prasad, Sumit Mohanta, Vikash Singh.
