Image Source- PTI
Hanuma Vihari has been selected as the Rest of India
team’s captain for the Irani Cup match against Ranji champion Saurashtra, which
will start on October 1 in Rajkot.
Three of Vihari’s teammates from that group are
present: fast bowler Vidwath Kaverappa, hitters Mayank Agarwal and B Sai
Sudharsan, and Vihari, who guided South Zone to the Duleep Trophy victory in
July. The preferred wicketkeeper is likely to be KS Bharat, with Dhruv Jurel
serving as the backup.
As he recovers from typhoid, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who
scored 798 runs during the Ranji season, is unable to play. Jalaj Saxena of
Kerala, an all-rounder who led the wickets chart with 50 kills, is the other
shocking omission.
The selectors have given young batters Yash Dhull and
Rohan Kunnummal spots based solely on potential, despite the fact that they had
disappointing Ranji seasons, while several India A players are away with the
national squad at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
At the 2022–23 Ranji Trophy, Dhull only scored 270
runs in 10 innings, while Kunnummal scored 203 runs in nine innings. Although
Vihari himself had a mixed season, hitting 490 runs in 14 innings for Andhra,
the captaincy may be another indication that he is still a viable backup for
the national squad.
Bengal’s Akash Deep and Navdeep Saini will lead ROI’s
bowling attack, and Vidwath Kaverappa of Karnataka, who had a good Duleep
Trophy to go along with his 30 Ranji season wickets, is anticipated to line up
as the third pacer. The two frontline spinners are Saurabh Kumar of Uttar
Pradesh and Shams Mulani, who took 46 wickets in the Ranji Trophy in 2022–23
and was second in that category. Pulkit Narang of Delhi also made the cut. With
his left-arm pace, Yash Dayal adds diversity.
The hosts, Saurashtra, have also selected a potent
team that includes all of their regulars. At the county championship in
England, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat are transitioning from a regular
diet of red-ball cricket. Sheldon Jackson, who is now 37, remains to be a pillar
in the middle order alongside Pujara and Arpit Vasavada, who finished second in
runs scored in the previous Ranji season.
Saurashtra earned the right to play this game after
beating Bengal to clinch their second Ranji Trophy crown in Kolkata earlier
this year.