Mumbai will be without their star Indian batters for their next and final group-stage game of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 against Meghalaya. The Test and ODI captain, Rohit Sharma, turned up for their last fixture against Jammu and Kashmir after the new rules of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made it mandatory for the players to turn up for domestic clashes for national selection.
Rohit couldn’t enjoy a great comeback for Mumbai in the red-ball tournament after nearly a decade, having collected just three runs in the first innings, followed by an aggressive knock of 28 runs in 35 balls at a strike rate of 80. His opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, also went through the same fate with scores of 4 and 26.
The Times of India (TOI) has reported that alongside Rohit and Jaiswal, the star middle order batter, Shreyas Iyer, won’t be available for the fixture as well. The right-handed batter struggled for his knocks of seven and 17 during their five-wicket defeat at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC.
All-rounder Shivam Dube will also miss Mumbai’s must-win encounter as he has been added to India’s T20I squad for the ongoing five-match series against Jos Buttler-led England side. The southpaw had a horrible time in the last game with two ducks as he couldn’t open the account across two innings.
“Rohit, Jaiswal, and Iyer are all likely to attend the BCCI’s Naman Annual Awards in Mumbai on February 1. Next day (February 2), they are supposed to report for a short camp to Nagpur, before the three-match ODI series against England.” The BCCI’s source claimed, as quoted by TOI.
Mumbai is to miss Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Yashasvi Jaiswal against Meghalaya
The first of the three-match ODI series against England begins on February 06 in Nagpur. The last league game ends just three days before the fixture, as only Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are the two players who will feature in both red-ball and white-ball encounters.
Rohit’s return to the Mumbai side took place due to his poor form in recent times. The opening batter added just 91 runs in six Test innings at an average of 15.10 during the home three-match Test series against New Zealand before following it up with 31 runs in five innings at an average of 6.20 thanks to the best score of ten.
Iyer’s absence will be huge for the Ajinkya Rahane-led side. The middle-order batter has been the top run-getter for the side, with 480 runs in five games at an average of nearly 70 in the Ranji season.
Mumbai has earned 22 points in this tournament till now and still has a faint chance of qualifying for the knockouts. They will aim to beat Meghalaya by a bonus point, besides hoping that Baroda (27 points) loses outright to J&K at home or concede the first innings lead if the game ends in a draw.
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The exit of the star performers means in-form talented opening batter Ayush Mhatre, who has clubbed 408 runs in five games at an average of 45.33 with two centuries, would be making a return to the side after missing the last game. The all-rounder, Suyansh Shedge, could return to the eleven for the key encounter.
On January 26, Shedge smashed a 71-ball century, while Mhatre hit a 34-ball fifty for Mumbai’s Under-23 side against Bihar in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy game. As a team, they are currently in the third position with two defeats against Jammu and Kashmir and Baroda at the start of the edition.