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The Mumbai selection committee announced the squad for their upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh, which will be played in Raipur from February 9. In a major boost, the Indian bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will return to the Mumbai squad after recovering from an ankle injury sustained before the season began, while Shivam Dube has been rested.
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Apart from the inclusion of Shardul Thakur in the squad, Mumbai will also welcome the likes of the bowling all-rounder Shams Mulani and the fast bowler Tushar Deshpande, who are available after a successful unofficial Test series for India A against the England Lions at home. The Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane, who had to sit out the win in the last match against Bengal due to a hamstring injury, will lead the team again.
As per the report from the Times of India, the source in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) was quoted as saying about the reason for resting Shardul Thakur, “Dube has been playing continuously for Mumbai this season, and featured in both the white-ball tournaments as well as four games in the Ranji Trophy. He is also suffering from a side strain. It's better to rest him now and ensure that he is fresh and firing for the Ranji knockouts.”
Moreover, Mumbai, who have achieved four outright wins in five matches in the Elite Group B of the Ranji Trophy, are very close to securing their spot in the knockouts. At the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, the 41-time champions will be looking to defeat the hosts Chhattisgarh, who are winless in four matches, to get a step closer to winning yet another Ranji Trophy title.
Here is the Mumbai squad for Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh:
Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shardul Thakur, Dhaval Kulkarni, Prithvi Shaw, Shams Mulani, Jay Bista, Bhupen Lalwani, Hardik Tamore (wk), Prasad Pawar (wk), Tanush Kotian, Mohit Awasthi, Roystan Dias, Tushar Deshpande, Amogh Bhatkal, Suryansh Shedge, Aditya Dhumal.