Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on Mohammed Shami for his impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Jammu and Kashmir. Shami, who is currently out of the Indian team, has been performing consistently in the domestic circuit.

The veteran Bengal pacer returned with career-best figures of 8-90 in the first innings of the game, and thus played a key role in skittling out J&K at 302. 

“While the World Cup is on, one of India’s finest fast bowlers @MdShami11 is grinding it out in the Ranji Trophy. 8 wickets in the semi-final,” Irfan Pathan posted on X.

Meanwhile, Shami has scalped 36 wickets in seven matches of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season at an impressive average of 17.11. Shami has been right on the money in the ongoing domestic season and has delivered consistently for Bengal. However, Shami has not received his chance for the national team and has been ignored by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel.

Furthermore, Shami was not included in any Grade in the BCCI contract list, which hints that he is not on selectors’ radar.

On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir are on the verge of a famous win as they need another 83 runs to win against Bengal with eight wickets to spare. 

Auqib Nabi has been the star of the show for his state team as the Delhi Capitals all-rounder returned with figures of 5-87 in the first innings. The right-arm pacer returned with 4-36 in the second essay to skittle out Bengal at 99.