Shardul Thakur, Mumbai’s allrounder, will sit out once more for the third-round Ranji Trophy match against Haryana, hosted at the BKC complex starting Monday. Recovering from a finger injury diagnosed just before the Ranji season kicked off, Thakur’s participation has been stalled since August.
The team remains unchanged after convincingly beating Himachal Pradesh in Bilaspur and earning a bonus point in the last round. Thakur’s injury, a fracture to his right middle finger incurred during training, needs more time to heal, keeping him away for another match. Initially, it was thought he might return for this game, but his recovery is ongoing.
Despite the injury, Thakur remains involved with the team and was spotted alongside Suryakumar Yadav at a Major League Baseball event in Mumbai over the weekend. While away from play, Thakur has taken up commentary for some of India’s T20I matches currently underway in New Zealand.
Adding to Mumbai’s setbacks, recently appointed vice-captain Ayush Mhatre is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, and Yashasvi Jaiswal is currently in New Zealand to participate in the Tests after the ongoing ‘A’ series. To bolster their side, Mumbai brought in opening batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi and allrounder Suryansh Shedge prior to their second-round match.
Mumbai sits comfortably atop Elite Group D with 14 points, despite these challenges. Thakur’s last competitive appearance was in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final representing West Zone against North Zone in late August, where he didn’t make a significant impact.
Mumbai looks to maintain their lead without Thakur and continue overcoming the challenges posed by these absences.
