The focus might be currently on the T20 format with the World Cup beginning on March 8 followed by the IPL but for India’s fringe players, the Irani Cup will be a last ditch effort this season to impress the selectors in the longer format.
India are likely to play over 15 Test matches next season and the selectors, headed by Sandeep Patil will be at hand for the contest between Ranji champions Mumbai and Rest of India at Brabourne Stadium here from Sunday.
Players like Naman Ojha, Shreyas Iyer, Jaydev Unadkat and Karun Nair will be closely watched, as India may need large pool of players for the grueling season. Ojha who has already played for India in Tests will lead RoI.
Aditya Tare, who led Mumbai to their 41st Ranji Trophy title in Pune last week scored 569 runs to go with his new record of 48 victims behind the stumps, will keep the pressure on Ojha for the second stumper’s slot. Wriddhiman Saha is at the moment the first choice wicketkeeper in Tests.
Iyer became the only batsman after V.V.S. Laxman to score 1,300 runs in a Ranji Trophy season. The aggressive Mumbai batsman scored 1,321 runs at an average of 73.38 including a counter-attacking hundred in the final against Saurashtra.
Unadkat who has played one Test for India in 2010 is having a great season and has 40 wickets in 11 games, bulk of them (24) coming in the knock-out stages for Saurashtra.
Mumbai have not won the Irani title since 1997-98. They have strength in batting with Iyer leading the charge. Left-handed opener Akhil Herwadkar is second in the scoring list with 879 runs and prolific batsman Suryakumar Yadav is fourth with 788 runs. Tare and Abhishek Nayar lend experience in the middle-order. Siddhesh Lad also has played a couple of crucial knocks with the tail.
