The 2023-24 domestic cricket season will resume on Sunday, with Saurashtra hosting the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
Packed between an India-Australia ODI at the venue, the Cricket World Cup warm-ups and the World Cup opener on October 5, Jaydev Unadkat will lead the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy champion against an RoI outfit led by Hanuma Vihari.
Unadkat, who had a successful County stint with Sussex, will team up with his veteran India teammate Cheteshwar Pujara. A stacked Saurashtra batting lineup will also bear the likes of Arpit Vasavada and Sheldon Jackson for the five-day game.
Meanwhile, the Rest of India’s batting will be boosted by the presence of Mayank Agarwal, the leading run-scorer (990) of the previous Ranji season. In-form youngsters Sai Sudharsan, Sarfaraz Khan and Rohan Kunnummal have also been named in the 15-member squad. Karnataka’s Vidwath Kaverappa and Bengal’s Akash Deep are expected to lead the pace attack alongside Navdeep Saini. While India keeper KS Bharat is expected to don the gloves for RoI, left-armers Shams Mulani, Saurabh Kumar, and offie Pulkit Narang will firm up the spin department.
In February earlier this year, Saurashtra beat Bengal by nine wickets to win its second Ranji Trophy title at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to qualify for the Irani Cup.
The squads
Saurashtra: Jaydev Unadkat (captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Harvik Desai, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani, Jay Gohil, Parth Bhut, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, Samarth Vyas, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Kushang Patel, Snell Patel, Devang Karamta.
Rest of India: Hanuma Vihari (captain), K S Bharat, Mayank Agarwal, Yash Dhull, Shams Mulani, Sai Sudarshan, Sarfaraz Khan, Pulkit Narang, Saurabh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Vidwath Kaverappa, Akash Deep, Rohan Kunnummal, Dhruv Jurel.
