Shahbaz Ahmed - Current Form
Born in Mewat, a historical region of Haryana, Shahbaz Ahmed's journey has not been an easy one after having levitated from skewed urbanisation and catastrophes.
The 25-year-old made his first-class debut for Bengal in 2018-19 edition of Ranji Trophy. Ever since his debut, Shahbaz has played a fundamental role in Bengal's surge in the last 14 months. With an experience of playing over 50 domestic games for Bengal, it is safe to say that the all-rounder has firmly cemented his place in the side.
Shahbaz Ahmed draws inspiration from English all-rounder, Ben Stokes. He aspires to develop a prototype of the ability of the English all-rounder in finishing games on a consistent basis; drawing a parallel to Ben Stokes' improbable finish at Headingly.
Shahbaz Ahmed's heroics piloted Bengal to the Final of the Ranji Trophy
After a successful campaign in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali, Shahbaz was drafted into India A squad for Deodhar Trophy. Rubbing shoulders with Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari did a world of good for him. The all-rounder honed his skill and expanded his repertoire ahead of the all-important Ranji Trophy season.
Shahbaz's efforts did not go unnoticed as he was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a base price of INR 10 Lakhs.
It was 14 years later that Bengal made it to the Ranji Trophy final. The all-rounder coordinated Bengal's come-from-behind performances on countless occasions, underpinning his big-match temperament. Shahbaz Ahmed became the seventh Bengal bowler to pick a hat-trick. The left-arm orthodox spinner rattled the Hyderabad batting unit with a four-wicket haul in the first innings. The 25-year-old pioneered Bengal to the Final of Ranji Trophy after racking 509 runs and also picking up 35 wickets. Though Bengal ended up on the wrong side of the result, they found a consistent vein in Shahbaz Ahmed.
His proficiency to contribute in all the three aspects makes him a rare commodity and a luxury to have for any captain. Shahbaz yearns for more success and is also looking forward to sharing the dressing room with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, two modern-day greats.
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