The “Rest of India” team, which will play Saurashtra in the Irani Cup from October 1–5, was unveiled by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday. Saurashtra is the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy champion. The Irani Cup has been absent from the domestic competitive calendar for three years owing to the COVID-19 epidemic, which started in 2020. Hanuma Vihahi, an Indian batter, will captain Rest of India, while Mayank Agarwal, another international from India, has also been selected. Along with the youthful pace prodigy Umran Malik, Yash Dhull, who helped India win the U-19 World Cup trophy in 2022, was also chosen.
The other hitters selected, in addition to Vihari, Mayank, and Dhull, are domestic heavyweights Priyank Panchal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, as well as Sarfaraz Khan, who has been amassing runs in the Ranji Trophy like nobody’s business. The team also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, who recently scored a double-century for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy final. Along with fellow gloveman Upendra Yadav, KS Bharat will be the wicketkeeper. For Rest of India, the spin department is made up of Jayant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, and R Sai Kishore, while the pace attack is made up of Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Sen, and Arzan Nagwaswalla. The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot will host the Irani Cup game. The Irani Cup has two domestic competitions this year, the second of which pits Rest of India against the reigning Ranji Trophy champions, Madhya Pradesh.
Here’s ROI squad: Hanuma Vihari (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Priyank Panchal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Yash Dhull, Sarfaraaz Khan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, K.S.Bharat, Upendra Yadav, Jayant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, R Sai Kishore, Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik, Kuldeep Sen, Arzan Nagwaswalla
