India batter Sarfaraz Khan likely to be released from Test squad for Irani Cup

By Sreejith CR | First Published Sep 24, 2024, 2:58 PM IST

The Irani Cup, the next big thing in India's domestic cricket season, will see reigning Ranji Trophy winners Mumbai taking on Rest Of India. Sarfaraz has scored more than four thousand runs from 50 First Class matches so far and his availability will be a huge boost for Mumbai.

India batter Sarfaraz Khan is likely to be released from Test squad for the Irani Cup. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has hinted at this decision ahead of the annual domestic season fixture. The middle order batsman is currently part of the ongoing two-Test series against Bangladesh.

Also read: Irani Cup: Sanju Samson ahead of Ishan Kishan in Rest of India squad ?

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"India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar is keen that barring any last-minute injuries in the nets or fitness issues to any of the main batsman in Team India, Sarfaraz Khan should be released from the main squad to allow him to play in the Irani Cup," a source told TOI.

"In any case, it takes about an hour to reach from Kanpur to Lucknow, so Sarfaraz Khan can leave for Lucknow even much after the Kanpur Test has begun," the source added.

India will be aiming for a clean sweep when they play host to Bangladesh in the second an final Test of the series at Kanpur, starting from September 27. Rohit Sharma and Co. secured a comprehensive 280 run victory in the first Test in Chennai. Ravichandran Ashwin was the standout player with a century and six-wicket haul, while Ravindra Jadeja also made handy contributions both with the bat and ball. Risbhabh Pant and Shubman Gill scored hundreds in the second innings at Chepauk.

The Irani Cup, the next big thing in India's domestic cricket season, will see reigning Ranji Trophy winners Mumbai taking on Rest Of India team. Sarfaraz played a key role as Mumbai won a record extending 42nd Ranji title earlier this year. Mumbai defeated Vidarbha by 169 runs in the final. The middle order batsman has scored over four thousand runs from 50 First Class matches so far and his availability will be a huge boost for Mumbai.

Team Mumbai is likely to be led by veteran Ajinkya Rahane, while the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan and Shardul Thakur among other are also expected to make the squad. Rest of India, on the other hand, will consist of best players from the remaining Ranji teams and also the ones who did well in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.

India A, led by Mayank Agarwal, finished on top of the Duleep Trophy 2024 standings and thereby won the title. India D's Sanju Samson is a strong contender for the wicketkeeper slot, having scored 196 runs in the two matches, including a 95 ball century against India B. The Kerala cricketer is likely to face stiff competition from Jharkhand's Ishan Kishan, who also smashed a century for India C in the tournament.

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