Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
One name was conspicuous by absence, as the senior selection committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced a 16-member Ranji Trophy squad for the first game against Jammu and Kashmir. It was Suryakumar Yadav. India’s T20I captain made himself unavailable for the game.
Surya is not injured. Nor is he going into a red-ball recluse a la Shreyas Iyer. The decision is for the Ranji Trophy opener only and going ahead, the MCA expects the senior batter to be part of the set-up. The 35-year-old played three Ranji Trophy matches last term, scoring 109 runs at 21.80.
“He (Surya) is not available for this game only, and we have picked the squad for the first match,” an MCA official told RevSportz. “He didn’t mention any injury, and going ahead, he would play. Maybe he wants to have a bit of downtime before the Australia tour.”
India’s white-ball tour of Australia starts on October 19. Three ODIs would be followed by five T20Is. Surya is not part of the ODI squad, but he would lead the team in the shortest format.
Meanwhile, Mumbai, the 42-time champions, start their 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign from October 15 in Srinagar. The squad will leave on Saturday.
Expectedly, Shardul Thakur has been appointed the new captain after Ajinkya Rahane decided to step down. The latter, however, is continuing as a player.
The game against Jammu and Kashmir will also see Sarfaraz Khan returning to the first-class fold after missing the Duleep Trophy due to an injury. Shivam Dube, too, is in the squad.
Mumbai squad:
Shardul Thakur (captain), Ayush Mhatre, Aakash Anand (WK), Ajinkya Rahane, Siddhesh Lad, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Sylvester Dsouza, Hardik Tamore (WK), Irfan Umair, Musheer Khan, Akhil Herwadkar, Royston Dias.
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz