Prithvi Shaw, the enigmatic opening batter, has been excluded from Mumbai’s squad for its next Ranji Trophy Group A match against Tripura, to be played at Agartala from October 26.
“He has been given a break. The selectors and the coach have had a discussion with him and have briefed him about areas to work on, including fitness,” Abhay Hadap, the Mumbai Cricket Association secretary, told The Hindu on Monday.
The selection committee, chaired by Sanjay Patil, met at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy minutes after the conclusion of Mumbai’s clash against arch-rival Maharashtra.
Shaw has tallied 139 runs in six innings at the top of Mumbai’s order this season, with 76 in the second innings in the Irani Cup tie being his lone fifty. The opener’s fitness has been in question ever since he returned from a knee injury at the start of the year.
The Mumbai selectors have thus recalled veteran Akhil Herwadkar, who last represented Mumbai in November 2018. He will be vying for the opener’s slot with Angkrish Raghuvanshi as Ayush Mhatre’s partner.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav (personal commitments) and Tanush Kotian (India A duty) will also miss the next game, thus prompting the Mumbai selectors to recall left-arm spinner Karsh Kothari after a hiatus.
The squad: Ajinkya Rahane (Capt.), Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Akhil Herwadkar, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (wk), Sidhaant Addhatrao (wk), Shams Mulani, Karsh Kothari, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Juned Khan and Royston Dias.
Published – October 21, 2024 06:01 pm IST