Mumbai captain and pacer, Dhawal Kulkarni has been surprisingly benched for the Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha. The ouster is being considered as a shock because Kulkarni had proved to be fit and was eager to join his team but soon found his name missing from the list when the team was declared. The pacer has been an integral part of the team and his non-inclusion has been a shock for him and his fans.
The pacer stated that he was cleared by the physios at the National Cricket Academy and alongside, he had submitted his fitness report. He added that it came as a shock to him after he was rested by the selectors but the 30-year-old has expressed that he respects their decision.
Earlier, it was expected that after missing a couple of games due to an ankle injury, he would make a comeback in the game against Saurashtra. However, he had to withdraw after he failed to regain his fitness and was unable to ‘give his 100 per cent’ and now, he has been rested once again in a match that is crucial for Mumbai.
In the meanwhile, Shardul Thakur has made his comeback to the team and will play his first competitive game after a span of two months. Thakur faced injury after bowling mere 10 balls on his Test debut against West Indies and since then, he has been on the sidelines.
However, as Thakur has not been the part of the team touring Australia and New Zealand, he will be seen in action with the challenge to perform well and earn his national recall soon. Although, it is expected that India is yet to solidify the third pacer for the ODI side and Thakur has been a strong contender for the spot.
Therefore, Siddhesh Lad will continue to lead Mumbai in the absence of Kulkarni and look to win the match for Mumbai as Mumbai are currently sitting in the 14th spot in combined Groups A and B standings and if they fail to register an outright win in any of these games, then they will be ruled out of the domestic tournament.
Mumbai captain and pacer, Dhawal Kulkarni has been surprisingly benched for the Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha. The ouster is being considered as a shock because Kulkarni had proved to be fit and was eager to join his team but soon found his name missing from the list when the team was declared. The pacer has been an integral part of the team and his non-inclusion has been a shock for him and his fans.
The pacer stated that he was cleared by the physios at the National Cricket Academy and alongside, he had submitted his fitness report. He added that it came as a shock to him after he was rested by the selectors but the 30-year-old has expressed that he respects their decision.
Earlier, it was expected that after missing a couple of games due to an ankle injury, he would make a comeback in the game against Saurashtra. However, he had to withdraw after he failed to regain his fitness and was unable to ‘give his 100 per cent’ and now, he has been rested once again in a match that is crucial for Mumbai.
In the meanwhile, Shardul Thakur has made his comeback to the team and will play his first competitive game after a span of two months. Thakur faced injury after bowling mere 10 balls on his Test debut against West Indies and since then, he has been on the sidelines.
However, as Thakur has not been the part of the team touring Australia and New Zealand, he will be seen in action with the challenge to perform well and earn his national recall soon. Although, it is expected that India is yet to solidify the third pacer for the ODI side and Thakur has been a strong contender for the spot.
Therefore, Siddhesh Lad will continue to lead Mumbai in the absence of Kulkarni and look to win the match for Mumbai as Mumbai are currently sitting in the 14th spot in combined Groups A and B standings and if they fail to register an outright win in any of these games, then they will be ruled out of the domestic tournament.
Squad: Siddhesh Lad (Captain), Shreyas Iyer, Aditya Tare, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Jay Bista, Vikrant Auti,Shubham Ranjane, Eknath Kerkar, Karsh Kothari, Dhrumil Matkar, Tanush Kotian, Minad Manjrekar, Tushar Deshpande, Royston Dias.