Mumbai's chief selector Sanjay Patil has emphasised that India internationals selected for the Ranji Trophy must give their full effort and not just show up to play.
Mumbai have picked Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube for the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Haryana, beginning on February 8. Mumbai, who managed to sneak through into the quarters following a bonus point win against Meghalaya, also needed Baroda to drop points against Jammu and Kashmir in their last league game. Baroda ended up losing the match, resulting in Mumbai’s second-spot finish in the group.
The equation had become complicated for Mumbai after they lost to Jammu and Kashmir in the sixth round, despite the presence of as many as six internationals in the playing XI. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal made Ranji comebacks, the former playing his first four-day game for the side in nearly a decade. It came after the BCCI mandated the top stars to play domestic cricket, following which Rohit, and later Virat Kohli, turned out to play for their respective state teams.
However, neither Rohit nor Jaiswal, both of whom opened the innings, were able to contribute much against Jammu and Kashmir. The India skipper made 3 and 28, with the left-hander scoring 4 and 26. Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur and Ajinkya Rahane were in the XI as well, although they play for Mumbai more regularly. Rahane is also Mumbai’s captain, with the in-form Thakur playing a pivotal role in the season as well.
To accommodate Rohit and Jaiswal, Mumbai also had to drop Ayush Mhatre from his opening role. Mhatre has scored 413 runs in the ongoing tournament at an average of 41.30 with two hundreds and a fifty, but found no place in the XI as the internationals returned.
Mumbai selector: We have deprived youngsters to accommodate India players
For the quarter-final, Mumbai have picked Suryakumar and Dube in the 18-member squad after their assignments with India during the England T20Is came to an end. However, Patil has sounded a warning to the seniors, saying they would need to give their all while playing for Mumbai as well.
Speaking to Times of India, he said: “I'm very clear on this. Considering our defeat against J&K, which came despite the presence of six India cricketers in our lineup, which was very disappointing, I want both SKY and Dube not to just participate in this Ranji Trophy knockout match, but perform well, and contribute to Mumbai's victory.
"I'm still upset at the J&K defeat, which I feel was our worst ever. To accommodate the India players in that match, we had to deprive a few talented youngsters.
"Mumbai needs players who can perform and make the side win games, something which was missing in that match. The India players need to realise it's not just about being 'available' for that game. The culture of Mumbai cricket has always been about giving your 100% when you are playing for Mumbai.”
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
