Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22: Ajinkya Rahane to lead Mumbai
India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is set to lead Mumbai in the impending Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw has been named the vice-captain of the 20-member side. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced the squad on Monday. India's domestic T20 championship, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will begin on November 4. Here are further details.
Mumbai's squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Mumbai's Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Prithvi Shaw (vice-captain), Aditya Tare, Shivam Dube, Tushar Deshpande, Sarfaraz Khan, Prashant Solanki, Shams Mulani, Atharva Ankolekar, Dhaval Kulkarni, Hardik Tamore, Mohit Awasthi, Siddhesh Lad, Sairaj Patil, Aman Khan, Arman Jaffer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tanush Kotian, Deepak Shetty and Roystan Dias
Rahane averaged just 15.57 in the England Test series
Rahane has endured a lean patch in Test cricket lately. He looked off-color on India's recent tour of UK. Rahane was only impressive in the Lord's Test against England where he smashed 61 (146) in the third innings. His scores in the series read as - 0, 14, 10, 18, 61, 1, and 5. He scored 109 runs from seven innings at just 15.57.
Rahane hasn't played white-ball cricket recently
Rahane hasn't been in the scheme of things in white-ball cricket. He last represented India in a limited-overs game in 2018 (6th ODI vs South Africa). The 33-year-old played his last T20 International in 2016 (2nd T20I vs West Indies). Besides, Rahane has played only 11 games at the Indian Premier League after moving to Delhi Capitals in 2020.
Prithvi Shaw smashed 479 runs in IPL 2021
Prithvi Shaw played as a frontline opener for DC in the 2021 IPL season. He smashed 479 from 15 matches at a strike rate of 159.14 (18 sixes). His tally includes 4 half-centuries and a best score of 82.
SMAT 2021/22: A look at the details
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be underway on November 4. Mumbai, who are placed in Group B, will play their opener against Karnataka. They will then face Services, Bengal, Chattisgarh, and Baroda. Notably, Mumbai are yet to win their maiden SMAT title. They finished with only a solitary win in the previous edition. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu went on to win the tournament.
