No Rohit Sharma in Mumbai's squad for Vijay Hazare Trophy
What's the story
Former India captain Rohit Sharma has been left out of Mumbai's squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy - India's premier List A competition. This comes despite a recent BCCI directive mandating all fit and available India players to participate in domestic matches. Along with Rohit, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, and all-rounder Shivam Dube have also been omitted from the initial squad announced by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
Selection strategy
MCA's stance on player availability
MCA's senior selection committee chairman Sanjay Patil clarified that the absence of these players doesn't mean they will miss out on the ODI tournament starting December 24. "All these India players will be accommodated in the Mumbai squad when they are available. If they aren't available, it's not right to name them in the squad and deprive a youngster of a place in the team," Patil told TOI.
Mandate
Mandatory for players to feature in domestic matches
Notably, the BCCI has reiterated that all India players are required to play a minimum of two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy unless they are unfit or rehabilitating at the Centre of Excellence. India's next international assignment is an ODI series against New Zealand from January 11. This gives Rohit Sharma a chance to play in this domestic tournament. Notably, the 38-year-old has retired from Tests and T20Is.
Medical clearance
Jaiswal's health and future inclusion
Jaiswal, who is India's Test and ODI opener, was recently hospitalized in Pune after suffering from acute gastroenteritis. The illness followed Mumbai's last match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy against Rajasthan. Patil said Jaiswal will be included in the Mumbai squad once he gets medical clearance.
Injury update
Ajinkya Rahane to miss initial matches
Former India and Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane has requested to be rested from the initial matches of the league stage due to a hamstring issue. "He has got a hamstring issue, and will rest and recover. He will join the Mumbai team after the first couple of matches," Patil said. Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur will lead Mumbai in the tournament.
Tournament details
Mumbai's group stage matches and new inclusions
The group stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be held between December 24 and January 8. Mumbai is in Elite Group C with Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Goa. They will play their matches in Jaipur. The selectors have given a maiden call-up to opener Ishan Mulchandani while young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi survived the ax despite a poor outing in the recently-held Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.