Shillong, Jan 29: Meghalaya will play their last Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group A match against Mumbai at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai from Thursday.
The Meghalaya senior men’s team selectors have named a largely unchanged 15-member squad, with only Kishan Lyngdoh returning in place of Wanlambok Nongkhlaw.
Mumbai will be without some big names as India stars Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer have rejoined the national team ahead of the upcoming ODI matches against England.
However, Mumbai will still be formidable opponents and be captained by India international Ajinkya Rahane. Mumbai need to win this match by a big margin to qualify for the next round and will not give Meghalaya any leeway.
Mumbai under pressure to record big win
With their backs pressed firmly against the wall, defending champions Mumbai will be in desperate pursuit of a victory with bonus points when the they take on Meghalaya in the final Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match here from Thursday.
Mumbai’s title defence took a heavy blow last week when an unfancied but better-prepared Jammu and Kashmir stuck to their principle of “keeping it simple” and defeated the Ajinkya Rahane-led side by five wickets here at the BKC Ground.
The return of India captain Rohit Sharma, batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal and the presence of mainstays like Shreyas Iyer and Rahane did not have much impact on the proceedings as J&K kept chipping away with consistent pressure on the hosts.
Only Shardul Thakur was able to put up a stoic resistance with his 51 and 119 in the two innings to give Mumbai a fighting chance but his efforts were not enough in a game in which batters failed to cash in on a friendly surface.
Thakur personified resilience and gumption particularly in the second innings when he battled cramps while putting on a massive partnership of 184 runs for the eighth wicket with Tanush Kotian.