Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Mumbai faces Rajasthan with Jaiswal back in familiar surroundings
As Yashasvi Jaiswal walked towards the dressing room after a long session in the nets, a group of young women cricketers from Rajasthan requested him for a picture.
As he agreed, one of the players asked Jaiswal how it felt to be back at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, where he has played a lot of cricket for Rajasthan Royals, and whether there would be any change in his approach.
“I know the conditions well, so I won’t change anything,” Jaiswal replied.
On Saturday, when Mumbai faces Rajasthan in a crucial Ranji Trophy Group D fixture, it will bank on Jaiswal and the seasoned Ajinkya Rahane, who also has a vast experience of playing at the iconic venue.
Coming on the back of a gritty 159 against Chhattisgarh, Rahane will hope to keep his form going, whereas for Jaiswal, it will be the first game of the season. The youngster, who scored a century in the second Test against the West Indies earlier this month, hopes to make the most of the black soil surface, which is expected to help the batters after the first session.
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Despite it being an away fixture, Mumbai looks confident, whereas Rajasthan, which suffered a defeat against Jammu and Kashmir in its last game, is a depleted unit. Khaleel Ahmed and Manav Suthar are with the India A team, while fast bowler Deepak Chahar has pulled out due to fitness issues.
However, coach Anshu Jain believes that with Aniket Choudhary and youngster Akash Singh around, the bowling unit has firepower. In the absence of Suthar, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar could be brought in, while the batting will revolve around Deepak Hooda and Mahipal Lomror.
With Jaiswal back, either Musheer Khan or Angkrish Raghuvanshi might have to warm the bench, but vice-captain Siddhesh Lad indicated that Mumbai is likely to continue with the same set of bowlers who played against Chhattisgarh.
Published on Oct 31, 2025
