MUMBAI: Discarded India opener Prithvi Shaw is likely to lead Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, which is set to kick off from January 13. The Mumbai team for the tournament is likely to be picked later this week. Placed in Elite Group C in Kolkata with Karnataka, Delhi, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, Mumbai will launch their campaign against Maharashtra.
Shaw had led Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare Trophy title in March this year. The 22-year-old's blazing form - he scored a record 827 runs in eight games@165.40, with four hundreds under his belt - played a massive role in the triumph. Mumbai have fared badly in both the white-ball tournaments this season, crashing out in the league stage itself. Ajinkya Rahane led them in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while Shams Mulani was the captain in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
"Shaw looks the most ideal candidate to lead the team, since the other top players like Ajinkya and Suryakumar Yadav are unavailable," a source told TOI. If it happens, this will be the first time in his career that the youngster would be leading Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
Meanwhile, former Mumbai Cricket Association jt secretary Hemant Waingankar's son Himanshu will be the team's manager for the Ranji Trophy. Himanshu is currently the cricket secretary of the Tata Sports Club.
Psychologist comes on board
MCA president Vijay Patil has approved both the requests of Mumbai's senior team coach Amol Muzumdar - the side has been provided the services of a sports psychologist, and has been allowed to leave early for Kolkata- on January 3 (Next Monday)-so that it can play a few intra-squad practice matches before the Ranji Trophy. "Noted sports psychologist Mugdha Bavare, who helped many Indian athletes to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics this year, took a session with the Mumbai team last week. During the Ranji Trophy, she will have online sessions with the players and the team as a whole," said a source.
The team will play four intrasquad games, before entering a three-day quarantine period from January 8.
