Jaipur: Boosted by the inclusion of India Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, a star-studded Mumbai will start as favourites against a depleted Rajasthan when the two sides clash in the Ranji Trophy third round at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Saturday.Jaiswal, who missed the first couple of matches of the season as he was part of the Indian ODI squad in Australia, will strengthen the 42-time Ranji champions, currently topping Elite Group D with nine points.The game against Rajasthan also presents an excellent opportunity for out of favour Test players Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur, and Sarfaraz Khan to catch the attention of national selectors with strong performances.Although Mumbai will miss the services of Shivam Dube (on India T20 duty) and Tanush Kotian (with India A), they still possess enough firepower to notch up their second win of the season. Rajasthan, meanwhile, are placed third in the eight-team group with six points.After beating Jammu & Kashmir in their opener, Mumbai had to settle for three points against Chhattisgarh in their first home game.Rajasthan began their campaign in style, thrashing Chhattisgarh by nine wickets, but suffered an innings defeat inside two days in their away fixture against J&K. The home side has been further weakened by the absence of three key bowlers. Vice-captain and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar and experienced pacer Khaleel Ahmed are on India A duty against South Africa A, while another seasoned seamer, Deepak Chahar, is sidelined with an injury after performing well in the first two matches.With the odds stacked against them, the hosts can draw inspiration from their U-23 side, which stunned Mumbai by seven wickets in the CK Nayudu Trophy at the same venue on October 20 — chasing a mammoth 316 on the final day to record their first-ever win.Despite the current challenges, captain Mahipal Lomror and head coach Anshu Jain remained optimistic ahead of the crucial encounter.“We have enough bench strength to replace the regular players. It’s an ideal opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent against a formidable side like Mumbai. We’re confident of putting up a good show at home,” Lomror told TOI on Friday.Jain admitted that the last match against J&K didn’t go as planned.“It happens in cricket, but that’s behind us now. We’ll try to repeat the performance of our first match, where we defeated Chhattisgarh with a superb all-round display,” said Jain.
