Ahead of the home Test series against England, Mumbai’s second-round Ranji Trophy 2024 matchup against Andhra Pradesh is scheduled to begin on Friday. The match features star Indian batter Shreyas Iyer. For the first time since the 2018–19 season, the right-hand hitter is participating in the Ranji Trophy for his home country. The 29-year-old has the chance to get better before the home Tests against England, which start in Hyderabad on January 25, at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in BKC. In a difficult tour to South Africa, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders scored 31, 6, 0, and 4 without out. Earlier this week, he was left out of India’s T20I team for the three-match series against Afghanistan.
Iyer played his first red-ball matches in almost nine months during the two Test matches in South Africa. He had been sidelined by a back injury suffered during the home Border-Gavaskar series against Australia in February and March. Iyer recovered from surgery in time for the Asia Cup, having missed the 2017 WTC Final and the Caribbean tour. He was crucial to India’s run to the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Behind Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the Chembur native scored the third-most runs for India during the World Cup with 530 in 11 innings at 66.25, which included two hundreds and three half-centuries. He was chosen as vice captain for the final two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Australia at home in December.
Mumbai will benefit from Iyer’s arrival as Sarfaraz Khan and Shivam Dube will be absent. On January 12–13, India A will play the England Lions in a two-day tour match in Ahmedabad, while Dube has rejoined the team for the T20I series against Afghanistan. Sarfaraz will be playing in this match.
Mumbai team: captain Ajinkya Rahane, wicketkeeper Prasad Pawar, wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore, Amogh Bhatkal, Jay Bista, Bhupen Lalwani, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Atharva Ankolekar, Mohit Avasthi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Royston Dias, Sylvester Dsouza.
