The talk of the town lately has been the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and its emphasis on red-ball cricket. Due to their carelessness during the current Ranji Trophy season, players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were not awarded central contracts. The board has stressed the value of the domestic season several times, and India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, recently considered this.
Regarding the Indian team, it was reported that Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan would not be available for the upcoming Ranji Trophy match. The Indians recently won a five-game Test series against England, with the final Test ending at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala.
Do the Mumbaikers have a real game?
The BCCI’s recent regulation requiring players to give the Ranji Trophy precedence over the IPL raises the possibility that the board may arrange for a charter airplane to take the three players directly from Dharamshala to Mumbai for the Ranji Trophy final.
Jaiswal and Rohit, who both batted in all five of the series’ Test matches against England, are still unlikely to play for Mumbai in the match. Before the forthcoming IPL 2024 season, they might be given a break. Sarfaraz Khan, who made his Test debut in Rajkot during the third game, may also make a different argument because he may play for Mumbai.
It is noteworthy that Sarfaraz Khan’s duties to India A prevented him from playing more than one Mumbai match earlier in the season.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma will also be participating in the Ranji final for the first time since the 2016–17 season if he does end up playing for Mumbai. After returning to the team for the semi-final following a series of ailments, Shreyas Iyer will be making apologies by representing Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final.