With the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai's original home ground for Ranji Trophy matches being the upgraded for the upcoming World Cup and the alternative vene at the CCI (Brabourne Stadium) being overlooked owing to administrative differences between the parties concerned, the defending champions have no option but to play their home games at the MCA facility at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. To make matters worse, the wicket at the said facility is a flat one.
Shami last played for India in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad after which he was sidelined because of an ankle injury which needed surgery.
Rising India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has lauded former India head coach Rahul Dravid, calling him a "privilege" to have in this era.
The veteran batsman, playing in his final Ranji Trophy match, steered Mumbai to victory over Haryana with a dogged innings of 79 on a difficult wicket at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium.
'...there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI that India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had 500 plus runs (530) in the World Cup and averages just around 50. Can you drop him?'
A summary of Tuesday's play in the Ranji Trophy matches at various venues across the country.
'If you look at his numbers in the past 3 years, he's head and shoulders above the rest.'
Kolkata and Ahmedabad will host the knockout stages of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and Vijay Hazare Trophy, respectively, while BCCI will conduct two Irani Cup ties in a single domestic season.
Dhaval Kulkarni wrecked the Saurashtra batting order to give Mumbai the upper hand on Day 1 of the Ranji trophy final played at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Saturday.
Rahane is playing back-to-back Ranji games after a long time and it would be a good opportunity for him to get some runs under his belt, especially at his home turf, before he heads for New Zealand with the India 'A' team.
Medium pacers Dhawal Kulkarni and Tushar Deshpande wrecked havoc by grabbing four wickets apiece as Mumbai put themselves in the drivers seat by dismissing Tamil Nadu for a paltry 87 on the opening day in their Ranji Trophy Group A match, in Lahli, on Thursday.
Selectors will assess the fitness level of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is recuperating from back spasms, and veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami.
A summary of Friday's action in Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Kedar Jadhav's sizzling century and a cracking innings of 91 from young Vijay Zol helped Maharashtra stun defending champions Mumbai by eight wickets, to storm into the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy, in Mumbai on Saturday.
Narayan Jagadeesan followed up his double ton in the previous game with a magnificent triple century to help Tamil Nadu declare their first innings
Easwaran compiled an unbeaten 151 off 212 balls, and laced his innings with 12 fours and a six on the third day of the match at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Shivam Dube carried his rich recent form into domestic circuit cracking a rapid fifty but Shreyas Gopal's four-wicket haul ensured that Mumbai were bowled out for 251
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah produced his career-best spell in first-class cricket as Gujarat staged a sensational comeback to beat Jharkhand by 123 runs and reach their second ever final of the Ranji Trophy cricket Tournament. Bumrah finished with figures of six for 29 and alongside veteran pacer R P Singh plotted the downfall of Jharkhand, who were skittled out for 111 in their second innings after being set a target of 235 runs on day four of the semifinal.
Dhapola's feat did not miss the attention of the BCCI secretary Jay Shah who termed it as one of the finest bowling performances of the tournament.
India captain Rohit Sharma including mainstays Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have placed in the highest category of BCCI central contracts.
Shubman Gill was conferred with the Polly Umrigar Best Men's International Cricketer of the Year award for 2022-23.
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has come down heavily on the Board of Control for Cricket in India and its selectors, saying ignoring Sarfaraz Khan for the upcoming Test series against Australia is "unfair" and "an abuse of domestic cricket".
Himachal Pradesh, who were bowled out for 130 in their first innings, were 79 for one at stumps on day three needing another 393 runs for an improbable win.
Siddesh Lad's strokeful 117 and the bowlers' superb showing put Mumbai in the driver's seat against Odisha at the end of the third day in a Ranji Trophy Group C match with the hosts struggling at 93 for four in pursuit of 413 for victory.
The wait has been a long one, but it looks like it's almost over as Sarfaraz Khan gears up for his Test debut.
Mumbai's reputation in the Ranji Trophy, says Bikash Mohapatra, is enough to intimidate opponents and put them under pressure even before they take the field.
Ishan Kishan celebrated his 26th birthday by offering prayers at the Shri Sai Baba temple in Shirdi.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Thursday.
Mumbai held a slight advantage against Railways at stumps on day two after a gritty 110 from Suryakumar Yadav in the Ranji Trophy Group A match in Mysore on Sunday. Mumbai, resuming at an overnight 244 for five, went on to score 345 courtesy Yadav, who started the day on 60. Captain and leggie Karn Sharma led from the front for Railways, adding two wickets to his overnight tally to complete a five-wicket haul.
Youngster Shreyas Iyer slammed his third ton of the season, a strokeful 137, while senior batsman Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 110 as Mumbai made an imposing 407 for four on day one of their Group B Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
His coaching resume also includes stints in the IPL, head coach of Puducherry for the 2019-20 season, and chief coach of the USA national cricket team from 2020 onwards.
Delhi outclassed Rajasthan by an innings and seven runs to gain a bonus point in the Group B match of the Ranji Trophy in New Delhi, on Wednesday.
Shreyas Iyer was the lone ranger as his unbeaten 191 helped Mumbai to 328/6 in their Group A Ranji Trophy cricket match against Gujarat in Hubballi on Wednesday. At stumps on the third and penultimate day, Mumbai trailed Gujarat by 109 runs with four wickets remaining in the first innings. Gujarat were all out for 437 in their first essay after Priyank Kirit Panchal slammed 232.
Aditya Tare played a captain's knock while Abhishek Nayar and Shardul Thakur complemented their fine bowling effort with half-centuries to help Mumbai take the all-important first innings lead over Tamil Nadu in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy cricket tournament in Rajkot. Tare made a fine 83 off 181 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries to hold together Mumbai's first innings. He was ably supported by Nayar (58) and Thakur (52) as Mumbai made 406 in their first innings in reply to Tamil Nadu's 305 before being bowled out at stumps on the third day of the five-day marque encounter.
Thakur also claimed a hat-trick in the match against Meghalaya, in a bid to prove his form and fitness for a national team comeback, with his last appearance being at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem claimed seven for 79 to put Jharkhand in control against Haryana on the second day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final match, on Saturday.
Ajinkya Rahane, who was appointed KKR captain and led Mumbai into the Ranji Trophy semi-finals and scored 467 runs, said he would carry the confidence from domestic cricket into the upcoming edition of the IPL.
The outings of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna will be the primary focal points of India A's four-day match against their Australian counterparts
With more than five months to go for the next Test series, many in the BCCI believe that there is no need to take a decision right away.
While the young Indian team showed great resolve to earn a creditable draw in England, the series exposed several weaknesses that need urgent attention.
