New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav’s absence from the pre-season camp and his “non-responsiveness” was the reason behind the selectors snubbing him from Mumbai’s squad for the Ranji Trophy.
The former India T20I skipper was not picked in the squad despite having made himself available for selection.
Suryakumar, who was replaced by Shreyas Iyer as India’s T20I skipper earlier this year, is no longer part of the national setup. He is back to the domestic grind as he eyes his place back in the Indian team. However, he entirely skipped Mumbai’s pre-season camp, which forced the decision-makers to leave him out of the squad.
As per a report in PTI, Suryakumar was non-responsive when he was approached regarding team selection around ten days ago. He later made himself available for selection, however, the lack of practice and red-ball cricket forced the selectors to leave him out.
“At the end, it is a team game. He does not have any immediate red-ball experience and everyone was unanimous in their decision on Suryakumar,” a source was quoted as saying by PTI, adding that selecting him would have meant keeping a deserving youngster out, which seemed unfair to the selectors.
Mumbai players have been training since last month at the Cricket Club of India and the MCA’s BKC Ground in Mumbai as they continue to prepare for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. The door has not been closed for Suryakumar, who can earn his place back in the side by playing club cricket organised by the MCA.
Siddesh Lad to lead Mumbai in Ranji Trophy
Siddesh Lad has been named Mumbai’s captain for the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy. Talented young batter Ayush Mhatre, who led India to U19 World Cup triumph earlier this year, will serve as Lad’s deputy. The squad also consists of the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Tushar Deshpande, among others.
Former captain Shardul Thakur has not been picked due to an injury in his right middle finger. Meanwhile, all-rounder Suryansh Shedge is not part of the squad as he has been drafted into the India A one-day squad as a replacement for Hardik Pandya.
Mumbai squad for Ranji Trophy: Siddhesh Lad (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Mhatre (vice-captain), Divyansh Saxena, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Suved Parkar, Aakash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Atharva Ankolekar, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasthi, Sylvester Dsouza, Onkar Tarmale.