Prithvi Shaw named Mumbai captain for 2022 Ranji Trophy
Young opener Prithvi Shaw has been named Mumbai's captain for the first two matches of the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy, India's domestic first-class competition.
Following the announcement, Mumbai chief selector Salil Ankola described Shaw as a brilliant captain and fantabulous opener. Speaking to news agency PTI, Ankola said:
"Prithvi is a brilliant captain and fantabulous opening batsman, what else you need."
Prithvi Shaw has led Mumbai in the limited-overs formats in the past but will captain them in the four-day format this year.
Shaw will be supported by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Armaan Jaffer in the batting department while the bowling attack will be led by the experienced pacer Dhawal Kulkarni. Mohit Awasthi, Royston Dias, Shams Mulani and Shashank Attarde are the others in the bowling attack.
Aditya Tare is likely to keep wickets while Shivam Dube has been picked as an all-rounder. Young all-rounder Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, is also part of the Mumbai squad.
Squad: Prithvi Shaw (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aakarshit Gomel, Arman Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan, Sachin Yadav, Aditya Tare (wicket-keeper), Hardik Tamore (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Aman Khan, Shams Mulan, Tanush Kotian, Prashant Solanki, Shashank Attarde, Dhaval Kulkarni, Mohit Awasthi, Prince Badiani, Siddharth Raut, Roystan Dias, Arjun Tendulkar
Mumbai are placed in Group C and will open their campaign against Maharashtra on January 13. The 41-time Ranji champions will then clash against Delhi from January 20 in Kolkata.
Prithvi Shaw looking to revive Test career
Prithvi Shaw, who had fans and experts alike excited with a century on his Test debut, now finds himself well down the pecking order for India in the longest format.
Having lost his place in the team during India's tour of Australia last year, he has seen KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal consolidate their places. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has made himself undroppable and has even been elevated to the role of vice-captain in the Test team.
Shubman Gill, Shaw's teammate from the 2018 U-19 World Cup, has also moved ahead of him for the opener's role in Tests.
Shaw faced issues with incoming deliveries, finding himself LBW or bowled more often than he would like. However, the Ranji Trophy will provide him with the perfect opportunity to stake a claim for once again returning to the Test team.
Shaw has 2414 runs from 28 first-class matches at an average of 49.26. He has scored nine centuries and also has 10 fifties to his name.