Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a triumphant return to first-class cricket after a nearly six-year absence, delivering an impressive 5-wicket haul for Uttar Pradesh against Bengal in the second round of the Ranji Trophy.
At the end of Day 1, Bengal found themselves in a precarious position at 95/5, having dismissed Uttar Pradesh for a paltry 60 runs in the first innings. However, Bhuvneshwar single-handedly shifted the momentum in UP's favor by claiming the crucial wickets of Sourav Paul, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Manoj Tiwary, and Abishek Porel.
In this match, Bengal captain Tiwary won the toss and elected to bowl first on the Kanpur pitch. Unfortunately for Bengal, only Samarth Singh, Aryan Juyal, and captain Nitish Rana managed to reach double figures in Uttar Pradesh's innings.
Bengal's Mohammad Kaif was the standout bowler, taking impressive figures of 4/14. Suraj Jaiswal also performed well, securing 3 wickets, while Ishan Porel managed to take two.
Unfortunately, the Bengal batters struggled throughout the day. Shreyansh Ghosh was the top scorer with 37 runs, accompanied by Karan Lal, who is currently batting on 8. Bhuvneshwar was the key player for the opposing team, claiming all 5 wickets. As a result, the visitors ended the day with a 35-run lead.
Kumar has not been included in India's Test squad since 2018 and was last seen in action against South Africa. With India preparing for a 5-match Test series against England at home, starting on January 25, there are concerns about Mohammed Shami's fitness, which may rule him out of the first 2 Tests. This presents an opportunity for the pacer from Meerut to impress the selectors and earn a spot in the squad.
