Are Gaikwad and Shaw Ready for Maharashtra’s Buchi Babu Tournament?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prithvi Shaw included in Maharashtra's squad.
- Competition runs from August 18 to September 9 in Chennai.
- New format: three-day matches instead of four.
- Team is led by Ankit Bawane.
- Matches will be livestreamed on YouTube.
Pune, Aug 14 (NationPress) The right-handed batter Ruturaj Gaikwad and Prithvi Shaw have been selected for Maharashtra’s 17-member squad competing in the All India Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, scheduled to take place in Chennai from August 18 to September 9.
Senior player Ankit Bawane will captain the team during this event, providing Shaw with a significant opportunity to represent Maharashtra after his transition from Mumbai ahead of the new domestic cricket season.
At 25, Shaw is keen to rejuvenate his cricketing journey after facing fitness and discipline challenges that led to his exclusion from the Mumbai squad in last season's Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Gaikwad, who participated in India A’s tour games preceding the Test series in England, is also gearing up to return to domestic cricket after abruptly withdrawing from his county championship stint with Yorkshire.
Both Gaikwad, who has been training at the Chennai Super Kings High Performance Centre, and wicketkeeper Saurabh Nawale are anticipated to depart post Maharashtra’s opening match to link up with the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy semi-final, occurring at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) grounds in Bengaluru on September 4.
The Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, which was revived in 2023, will showcase 16 teams this year, an increase from 12 in the previous two editions. Teams are divided into four equal groups. The format has shifted from four-day to three-day matches, with each team playing three games and a rest day in between.
All matches will be hosted in Chennai and livestreamed via the TNCA YouTube channel. Maharashtra is positioned in Group A alongside TNCA President’s XI, Himachal Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
Maharashtra squad: Ankit Bawane (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prithvi Shaw, Siddhesh Veer, Sachin Dhas, Arshin Kulkarni, Harshal Kate, Siddharth Mhatre, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Mandar Bhandari (wk), Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Pradeep Dadhe, Vicky Ostwal, Hitesh Walunj, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.