India’s overlooked star smashes a 32-ball fifty in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy quarter-final match

Veteran Indian seamer Mohammed Shami smashed a quick-fire, boundary-laden half-century for Bengal in their 2025-26 Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Andhra. The lower-order bowler heaped misery on the opposition to extend the team’s first innings tally to 629, after Sudeep Kumar Jarami’s stunning 299 win.

Mohammed Shami came to the crease after Akash Deb was dismissed in the 192nd minute on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final match. The senior bowler got off the mark with a boundary on the second ball, his only ball from his first 10 deliveries. However, he faced the duo of Sheikh Rasheed and Tripurna Vijay hitting seven boundaries from his next ten deliveries, including four successive deliveries in the 197th over.

Mohammed Shami raised his fifty with a stunning six against Saurabh Kumar soon after, before he was dismissed for 53 runs off 33 deliveries in the 200th over. His innings included seven fours and three sixes, resulting in just seven runs not out of bounds.

Before that, he had scored first-class fifties, his highest score being an unbeaten 56 off 70 creative deliveries on day five of the second Test against England at Lord’s on the 2021 tour. His other first-class fifty also came for England during the 2014 tour at Trent Bridge, which was just his seventh Test match appearance.

Mohammed Shami had recently smashed an 11-ball 25 for Bengal ahead of the return leg of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.

It is known that the 35-year-old can be easily combined with the bat in the lower order, given his penchant for calculated batting. During the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Assam at the start of the year, Shami slammed a brilliant 25-run knock from 11 deliveries, which included three fours and a six.

The player continues to struggle in the local circuit since recovering from his long-term injury. The national selectors have not considered him for the Indian team across formats since their victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. He is Bengal’s second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Ranji season, taking 28 wickets so far at an average of 17.78.