Suryakumar Yadav named Mumbai skipper for Ranji Trophy 2019-20

Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as the skipper of the Mumbai team for the upcoming edition of the Ranji Trophy. Yadav previously led the side and was replaced midway through the 2014-15 season. In the last edition, he was also dropped from the team. Mumbai are the 41-time champions of the prestigious Ranji Trophy and the onus will be on him to lead from the front.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is yet to officially name a 15-man squad for the domestic first-class tournament. Mumbai’s journey in the Ranji Trophy begins with their match against Baroda on Monday, December 9 at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Lucknow.

The ad-hoc selection committee of the MCA, led by Milind Rege, has finalized the squad, but is yet to put it up on its website. “Going by the new constitution, they (ad-hoc selection committee) invited Surya and appointed him as the captain,” a senior MCA official, privy to the development, was quoted as saying in Firstpost.

Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw, who recently made a comeback following a dope Test ban, are also said to have found a place in the squad. India won’t be playing Test cricket until the month of February when they tour New Zealand. It means that players like Rahane, who don’t feature in limited-overs teams, will be free for the next couple of months.

Suryakumar Yadav in prime form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Yadav was in jaw-dropping form in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, which Karnataka won, beating Tamil Nadu in the Final by a solitary run. Mumbai were out after the Super League stage, but Surya turned out to be their standout batsman.

The 29-year-old notched 392 runs in 11 matches at an average of 56 while striking at 168.96. The right-hander also plundered four half-centuries with a top score of an unbeaten 94 against runners-up Karnataka in Surat. He also scored in the 80s versus Haryana and Punjab.

In first-class cricket, Yadav doesn’t have the worst of records. In 72 matches, the Mumbai-born has scored 4,818 runs at an average of 43.01, having smashed 12 tons and 24 half-centuries. He made his debut in red-ball cricket back in the 2010-11 season and scored 200 against Odisha in 2011-12.