Prithvi Shaw returns to Mumbai squad for Bengal clash

Prithvi Shaw has been declared fit and, as a result, has been included in Mumbai's squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Bengal, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has confirmed.

The National Cricket Academy (NCA) had deemed Shaw fit for competitive cricket after he was sidelined since August 2023 due to a knee ligament injury. His return was delayed as the NCA was keen to put him through higher volumes of workload. "Prithvi Shaw is progressing well in his batting and fielding drills. He will undergo higher volumes of acceleration, change of direction, and agility drills over the next 3 weeks to develop the required robustness for his injured knee ligament before making a return to sports," the NCA had previously stated.

Shaw was last seen in competitive action during his stint with Northamptonshire in the One-Day Cup. He had a productive time there, having smashed 429 in just four innings at an impressive average of 143 and strike-rate of 152.66. In one of the games against Somerset, Shaw hit 244 off just 153 deliveries - the sixth-highest List-A score. 

In the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, Ajinkya Rahane-led Mumbai suffered their first loss when they went down by two wickets against Uttar Pradesh in the previous round at the Wankhede Stadium. They have beaten Bihar (by an innings and 51 runs), Andhra (by 10 wickets) and Kerala (by 232 runs) in convincing fashion to top the Elite Group B table.

Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shivam Dube, Prithvi Shaw, Jay Bista, Bhupen Lalwani, Amogh Bhatkal. Suved Parkar, Prasad Pawar (WK), Hardik Tamore (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Tanush Kotian, Atharva Ankolekar, Aditya Dhumal, Mohit Awasthi, Dhaval Kulkarni, Royston Dias and Sylvester Dsouza.