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Shardul, Shreyas boost for Mumbai against Baroda
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s campaign was boosted with the return of pacer Shardul Thakur and batting sensation Shreyas Iyer for their second Ranji Trophy Group A encounter
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s campaign was boosted with the return of pacer Shardul Thakur and batting sensation Shreyas Iyer for their second Ranji Trophy Group A encounter against Baroda at Delhi’s Palam A Ground starting from Thursday.
Thakur was asked to report to Indore for the third Test against New Zealand as cover for injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the eve of Mumbai’s Ranji opener at Lahli. Iyer, the highest run-getter of the last Ranji season, missed the tournament opener due to an injury.
However, Mumbai will miss pace spearhead Dhawal Kulkarni, who claimed a 10-wicket haul against Tamil Nadu in Lahli, after being selected in the Indian team for the New Zealand one-dayers.
“We will miss Dhawal for this match, but we are glad that Shardul is back and so is Shreyas. When you have your main players playing, it strengthens the team’s confidence,” said Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit.
Mumbai may have beaten Tamil Nadu outright in their opener, but the defending champions had to hold their nerve as they eked out a two-wicket win on a seaming Lahli pitch.
Thursday’s match will be only Mumbai’s third tie at the Palam ground. The last time they played at this venue, a semifinal contest against Services, the match was extended to the sixth day after Day Three and Day Four were washed out.
DELHI SWEAT ON SANGWAN’S FITNESS
Meanwhile, as the Delhi Ranji Trophy team converged at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday, their hopes of putting up another strong show would have been buoyed after looking at the green top laid out for their Group B encounter against Maharashtra.
However, later in the evening, the team received a setback with Pradeep Sangwan a doubtful starter for the match. Sangwan, who claimed five wickets in Delhi’s innings and 83-run victory over Assam in the opener, has suffered a side strain. “Sangwan is doubtful for the match,” said Delhi’s coach KP Bhaskar.
Maharashtra, meanwhile, will miss the services of their batting mainstay and skipper Kedar Jadhav, who is with the Indian ODI team for the New Zealand series. Swapnil Gugale will take charge in Jadhav’s absence.
