Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead Rest of India squad; Sarfaraz, Jurel, Dayal likely to be released for Irani Cup

NEW DELHI: Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, and Yash Dayal, key players for India, might be released for the Irani Cup if they don't make it to the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh starting September 27 in Kanpur.

The BCCI announced on Tuesday that the Rest of India squad will be captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad and will compete against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in Lucknow from October 1-5.

"Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal have been selected in the Rest of India squad and their participation is subject to them not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur," PTI quoted the BCCI statement as saying.

If Rishabh Pant encounters any injuries during the Test, sources say KL Rahul could step in as a replacement.

Prolific run-scorer Sarfaraz, who plays domestically for Mumbai, will join his home team if he does not play in the second Test.

"Sarfaraz Khan who has been retained in the Team India squad for the 2nd Test, will be released to represent the Mumbai team subject to him not being involved in the second Test match against Bangladesh in Kanpur," the BCCI statement added.

The Irani Cup will also see Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur returning to first-class cricket after surgery.

Top players like Shreyas Iyer, Musheer Khan, Shams Mulani, and Tanush Kotian are also expected to play for Mumbai.

However, Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav, India's T20 skipper, and all-rounder Shivam Dube will not participate in the Irani Cup. They need to report in Gwalior on October 3 for the T20I series starting October 6.

Rest of India squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran (v-c), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk)*, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal*, Ricky Bhui, Shashwat Rawat, Khaleel Ahmed, Rahul Chahar.