Rohit, Jaiswal, Shreyas miss out as Mumbai faces crucial Ranji Trophy match against Meghalaya
Mumbai, Jan 28: Mumbai's quest for a spot in the Ranji Trophy knockout stages faces a tough challenge as they gear up for a must-win clash against Meghalaya from January 30 to February 2 at the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, BKC, Mumbai.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced a 16-player squad for the match, but the notable absentees—India captain Rohit Sharma, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer—have raised questions about the team's prospects.
The trio flopped in Mumbai's abysmal display against Jammu and Kashmir. The defending champions lost the contest by five wickets, which has put their chances of qualification in jeopardy.
With a 5-wicket defeat, the defending champions' chances of qualification have taken a major hit. J-K now sits at the top of Group A, while Mumbai slipped to the third spot. Even a victory against Meghalaya may not be enough to ensure their qualification if J-K and Baroda stay ahead of them.
During his Ranji outing against J&K, Rohit was dismissed for just three runs in the first inning. In the second inning, the 'Hitman' pulled out a couple of delightful strokes from his arsenal. His innings looked promising but met its better end after being dismissed for just 28 runs in 26 balls, including two fours and three sixes.
Jaiswal opened the innings with Rohit, scoring four and 26 runs in both innings. Shreyas Iyer, who has displayed stupendous form in domestic cricket, had a sub-par outing with scores of 11 and 17.
The famed batting trio will be a part of India's upcoming three-match bilateral ODI series against England, which will serve as the best way for the preparation of next month's Champions Trophy.
The three-match ODI series will begin on February 6 in Nagpur. The second and third ODI will be played on February 9 and 12 in Cuttack and Ahmedabad, respectively.
Mumbai Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), 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 Dsouza, Royston Dias, Shreyas Gurav, Atharva Ankolekar.