Ranji Trophy 2022-23: Shardul Thakur to play in Mumbai's upcoming fixture against Assam

India all-rounder Shardul Thakur is all set to represent Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy team in their upcoming match against Assam which is set to begin on January 10, 2023 in Guwahati. Thakur was a member of the Indian squad for the recently concluded two-match Test series against Bangladesh, but he returned without playing a single match.

Performing well at the Ranji Trophy game will be beneficial for Thakur, as it will keep him in contention for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India will host Australia for four Tests in February-March 2023, which will also be their last series in the ongoing WTC cycle. Mumbai, currently playing Tamil Nadu at the Brabourne Stadium, are ranked second in Elite Group B with 13 points from three games. They need to finish in the top two to advance to the knockout rounds.

“Thakur conveyed his availability for the next match to Mumbai chief selector Salil Ankola today. He has been practicing at the Mumbai Cricket Association's BKC ground for the past two days,” a source was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

Mumbai's hustle to keep themselves in top 2

Saurashtra are currently leading the Elite Group B with 19 points from four matches. They have won two games in the tournament so far, and haven’t lost a single game yet. Mumbai, on the other hand, have won two games while losing the third. Maharashtra too have 13 points from three games and are placed just below Mumbai.

Team Mumbai is led by skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who scored a double-century in the team’s second game against Hyderabad. His knock included 26 fours and three sixes as he notched up 204 runs off 261 deliveries. His performance with the bat led to Mumbai posting 651/6, before declaring the innings, and eventually winning the game.

Shardul is not a part of India’s ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka and has now been named in the ODI squad either. Thus, he can utilize the time for refining his red-ball skills, and also work on his white-ball abilities so as to make a place in India’s squad for the New Zealand home series.