Rohit, Jaiswal, Iyer Unavailable for Mumbai's Crucial Ranji Trophy Match

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Rohit, Jaiswal, Iyer Unavailable for Mumbai's Crucial Ranji Trophy Match

Synopsis

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer are set to miss Mumbai's crucial Ranji Trophy match against Meghalaya. The trio will prepare for the ODI series against England, while Mumbai looks to improve their standing in the tournament.

Key Takeaways

  • Rohit Sharma and teammates will miss the match.
  • Ajinkya Rahane leads Mumbai in a must-win scenario.
  • Mumbai's current position in Group A is third.
  • Iyer is Mumbai's top performer this season.
  • Young talents are expected to step up for the team.

Mumbai, Jan 28 (NationPress) Indian captain Rohit Sharma, alongside teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer, will not participate in the upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Meghalaya, which is crucial for Mumbai as it begins on Thursday.

Under the leadership of Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai currently ranks third in Group A with 22 points from six matches, trailing behind Jammu and Kashmir and Baroda. They recently faced a five-wicket defeat against J&K upon Rohit's return to domestic cricket.

The trio—Rohit, Jaiswal, and Iyer—will instead focus on preparing for the upcoming ODI series against England, which kicks off on February 6 in Nagpur, just four days after the last round of the Ranji Trophy concludes.

Rohit and Jaiswal, who also open for India in Tests, had previously partnered effectively at the top for Mumbai in their last Ranji encounter. Their participation in domestic cricket was in line with the BCCI’s new regulations requiring players to engage in local competitions, a move initiated following consecutive Test series losses to New Zealand and Australia that dashed hopes for a third consecutive World Test Championship final, primarily due to the batting lineup's inconsistencies.

Rohit has been struggling with form, accumulating just 164 runs across his last 15 Test innings at an average of 10.93 this season. His performance for Mumbai has also been underwhelming, with scores of just 3 and 28 against J&K. Jaiswal, similarly, managed modest totals of 4 and 26, although he enjoyed a more successful Test season with a century and two half-centuries in Australia following four fifties at home.

In contrast, Iyer has emerged as Mumbai’s top performer this Ranji season, amassing 480 runs in seven innings at an average of 68.57, including two centuries. He also showcased his skills in white-ball cricket, scoring two unbeaten hundreds in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and accumulating 345 runs at a strike rate of 188.52 during Mumbai’s successful campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Mumbai will also be without all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has joined the Indian T20I squad after the match against J&K.

For the upcoming league match against Meghalaya, Mumbai will welcome back batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi and all-rounders Atharva Ankolekar and Suryansh Shedge, who was the Player of the Match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. They are expected to revert to the young opening pair of Raghuvanshi and 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre, who has made a remarkable start to his domestic career with four centuries and two half-centuries in 18 first-class and List A innings.

Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Amogh Bhatkal, Siddhesh Lad, Akash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shardul Thakur, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Mohit Avasthi, Sylvester D'Souza, Royston Dias, Shreyas Gurav, Atharva Ankolekar.