New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma is set to play his first Ranji Trophy match since 2015 after being named in Mumbai’s squad for their upcoming clash against Jammu and Kashmir, starting on January 23 at MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai.
Alongside him, young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been named in the squad to be captained by veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane, who led Mumbai to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title in the previous domestic season.
Other Indian team players named in Mumbai’s 17-member squad selected by the panel of Sanjay Patil (Chairman), Ravi Thaker, Jeetendra Thackeray, Kiran Powar, and Vikrant Yeligeti include batter Shreyas Iyer, all-rounders Shivam Dube and Shardul Thakur, while India U19 batter Ayush Mhatre also finds a place.
Previously on Saturday, while announcing India’s squads for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy, Rohit had confirmed that he would be playing in Mumbai’s match against Jammu & Kashmir after last playing a domestic first-class game in September 2016.
Other India Test team players like Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra), Rishabh Pant (Delhi) and Shubman Gill (Punjab) are also set to play in the upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy, which kickstarts the second leg of the prestigious first-class competition.
Mumbai have played five matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, where they have won three games and lost once, while the other one ended in a draw. Currently, they are third in the Elite Group A points table behind leaders Baroda and second-ranked Jammu and Kashmir.
Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Mhatre, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Shivam Dube, Hardik Tamore (wk), Akash Anand (wk), Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Awasthi, Sylvester D’Souza, Royston Dias, Karsh Kothari.