India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to pull on Mumbai whites again when the Ranji Trophy resumes on 1 November, the side travelling to Jaipur to face Rajasthan in Elite Group D.
Fresh back from ODI duties in Australia, the 23-year-old told team-mates he wants meaningful time in the middle before the first Test against South Africa, which starts in Kolkata on 14 November. “I’ve batted plenty in the nets,” he said, “but nothing sharpens you like four-day cricket.” The plan also fits the BCCI’s standing request for centrally-contracted players to appear in domestic games whenever the calendar allows.
Selector-in-chief Sanjay Patil confirmed a chat with the opener on Sunday night. “Yashasvi called to say he’s available,” Patil noted. “It lifts the whole dressing-room when an India player walks in.” The squad for Jaipur will be named once the current round ends on Tuesday.
If picked, it will be Jaiswal’s first Ranji match since re-committing to Mumbai in May, having briefly explored a switch to Goa. His last outing came against Jammu & Kashmir at the BKC ground, a fixture remembered more for Rohit Sharma’s cameo after the difficult tour of Australia. August’s Duleep Trophy, where he opened for West Zone, is his most recent first-class appearance.
Mumbai started their campaign with a straightforward win over Jammu & Kashmir, only for persistent drizzle to blunt their push for full points against Chhattisgarh last week. Captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted the side “left a few out there” but stressed the group is on track.
From a wider lens, Jaiswal’s return highlights an ongoing juggling act for India’s multi-format players. With a Test series looming, and a packed white-ball calendar never far away, topping up red-ball rhythm in the Ranji Trophy remains the simplest – and perhaps only – way to keep skills honed.
There are still small hurdles. Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium has tended to favour seam early in November, and Mumbai’s batting has not always coped when the ball moves. Yet the presence of an in-form international opener should steady nerves and, if the rain stays away, offer a meaningful gauge of where both player and team stand a fortnight out from South Africa.
