Rest of India Team Set for Irani Cup, Here’s the lowdown on Ishan Kishan’s return to cricket. He’s been picked for the Rest of India team, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, in the upcoming Irani Cup. The match is scheduled to take place in Lucknow from October 1st to 5th. Recently Kishan played his first first class game since July 2023 and scored a century for India C in the Duleep Trophy.
Pretty cool, right?
The team features two wicketkeepers, Kishan and Dhruv Jurel. However Jurel might get called up to join the India Test squad for their second match against Bangladesh, set to be held in Kanpur from September 27 to October 1. So well have to wait and see how that unfolds.
Also in the lineup are some players worth mentioning, like Yash Dayal, a left arm fast bowler and Sarfaraz Khan, a middle order batsman. Both of them are part of Indias Test team but might be available for the Irani Cup if they aren’t chosen for the second Test.
Oh and just a note about Mohammed Shami, Indias fast bowler. Hes not part of the Rest of India team. Shami has been out of cricket since last years World Cup and was supposed to play in the Duleep Trophy to show his fitness.
However he has chosen to take time off to recover from ankle surgery and is expected to return for the Ranji Trophy starting October 11. Shami is on the list of players for Bengals team this season so fingers crossed!
The squad also features some impressive openers, like captain Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Easwaran (who has been performing well in the Duleep Trophy), Devdutt Padikkal and B Sai Sudharsan. Both Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan have recently moved to the order but can adapt if needed.
In terms of the order Ricky Bhui from Andhra and Shashwat Rawat from Baroda have made the squad after showing form in the Duleep Trophy. Bhui topped the charts with runs at an average of 71.80 while Rawat had a performance in his recent India A match. They are definitely players to watch!
India’s bowling attack is quite formidable with Prasidh Krishna making a comeback from a quadriceps injury alongside Mukesh Kumar and left armers Yash Dayal and Khaleel Ahmed. They also have options, like Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain and Rahul Chahar for spin bowling.
On the side Ajinkya Rahane leads a strong team featuring stars like Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan. Rahane has been playing for Leicestershire and is currently in form. There’s also a return story as Shardul Thakur comes back after foot surgery. He hasn’t played since IPL 2024 but is ready for Mumbai’s Ranji knockouts.
By the way the Irani Cup match was originally set to take place in Mumbai but was moved to Lucknow due to the season. Let’s hope for weather!
Squads for the Irani Cup
Rest of India:
Here’s a lineup of players and their positions Ruturaj Gaikwad, as the captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, serving as the vice captain B Sai Sudharsan Devdutt Padikkal Dhruv Jurel, who is the wicket keeper Ishan Kishan, also a wicket keeper Manav Suthar Saransh Jain Prasidh Krishna Mukesh Kumar Yash Dayal Ricky Bhui Shashwat Rawat Khaleel Ahmed and Rahul Chahar.
Mumbai:
The roster features Ajinkya Rahane as the leader alongside Prithvi Shaw, Ayush Mhatre, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Siddhesh Lad, Suryansh Shedge, Hardik Tamore (who also serves as a keeper), Sidhaant Addhatrao (another keeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Himanshu Singh, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Avasthi, Mohammad Juned Khan and Royston Dias.
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