Depleted Mumbai batting faces Himachal test; Gill returns for Punjab

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Mumbai will be without vice-captain and opening batter Ayush Mhatre as well as India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is part of the India ‘A’ squad for the New Zealand tour, when they take on Himachal Pradesh in a Group ‘D’ clash of the Ranji Trophy in Bilaspur on Sunday.

Mumbai have drafted in Divyansh Saxena and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who are likely to open the innings. Mumbai’s depleted batting line-up will face an early test.

Mhatre’s return to competitive cricket after a lengthy injury layoff lasted only one innings, as he suffered a Grade 4 tear in his right hamstring during the opening round of the Ranji Trophy. The injury is expected to sideline him for another month.

With Mhatre and Jaiswal unavailable, Mumbai will also hope for a return to form from middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan. The domestic stalwart managed just one run against Chandigarh and will be keen to rediscover his touch after also recording a duck in the Irani Cup, following a first-innings 45 against defending Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir. 

Meanwhile, India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill’s return to Ranji Trophy action for Punjab will be the main attraction when they face Chhattisgarh in their second match of the season.

In Gill’s absence, India U-19 captain Uday Saharan led Punjab to a win over Assam via first-innings lead in the opening fixture.

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