Mumbai will face Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy at the MCA Ground in BKC |Courtesy - AP/PTI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Mumbai will play J&K from January 23
- Rohit Sharma could make a comeback
- Ajinyka Rahane will lead the side
Defending champions Mumbai will resume their 2024-25 Ranji Trophy campaign against Jammu & Kashmir from January 23 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Ground at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in a match that will see the hosts put out a star-studded team with most Team India stars available.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma will return to play for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side after almost a decade. After a dismal run of form in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the 37-year-old was spotted in a practice session of his state team at the Wankhede Stadium, giving a strong hint that he will play a Ranji Trophy match for the first time since November 2015.
It has also emerged that Rohit's opening partner in the national team, Yashasvi Jaiswal, will also play the match. Jaiswal was rested for the T20I series against England with a call-up to the ODI side for the England series and Champions Trophy likely and will look to maintain his form by playing for his state side.
Shreyas Iyer will also look to push for a Test comeback, but Suryakumar Yadav will miss out as he will be leading the Indian T20 side against England. Sarfaraz Khan will miss out after reportedly suffering an injury during a fielding session with the Indian team in Australia. Tushar Deshpande is also yet to recover from an injury.
Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the squad during the first leg of the tournament in October, and with Rohit and Jaiswal set to open the batting, a place for the 25-year-old seems unlikely.
Teen sensation Ayush Mhatre will be the team's first-choice wicket-keeper batter, while Kolkata Knight Rider star Angrish Raghuvanshi is likely to find a place too. After his white-ball exploits, all-rounder Suyash Shedge could get a chance in red-ball cricket too.
Shardul Thakur will lead the pace attack alongside Mohit Avasthi, while Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian will form a strong spin-bowling pair.
Mumbai Likely XI vs Jammu and Kashmir: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Mhatre (WK), Ajinkya Rahane (C), Shreyas Iyer, Angrish Raghuvhanshi, Suyash Shedge, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avashti
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