Ranji Trophy: Maharashtra announce Gaikwad-led team for clash vs Baroda
What's the story
Maharashtra have announced their team for the upcoming 2024-25 Ranji Trophy match against Baroda.
The game will be played on Thursday, January 23 at the Golf Club Ground in Nasik.
Notably, Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the team in this crucial championship match.
Additionally, the squad features prominent players such as Siddhesh Veer, Pavan Shah, Yash Kshirsagar, and Siddharth Mhatre among others.
Tournament progress
Maharashtra's performance in the ongoing Ranji Trophy
So far, Maharashtra's performance in the First-Class tournament has been less than stellar.
They currently sit in seventh place in Elite Group A with eight points and a net run rate of +0.535.
Apart from a 10-wicket victory over Meghalaya at the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Ground, they have suffered defeats against Mumbai, Services, and Odisha.
Meanwhile, their fixture against Jammu & Kashmir back in October ended in a draw.
Key players
Ankit Bawne and Hitesh Walunj shine for Maharashtra
Ankit Bawne has been Maharashtra's top run-scorer in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, scoring 361 runs from five games at an average of 51.57 and a strike rate of 60.46 including one ton and two half-centuries.
On the bowling side, left-arm spinner Hitesh Walunj leads with 22 wickets in five matches at an economy rate of just under three runs per over, including two five-wicket hauls.
FC stats - Gaikwad
A look at Gaikwad's first-class cricket stats
The batter has featured in 37 FC matches playing 63 innings and amassing 2,533 runs.
Meanwhile, he also owns an average of 41.52 while striking at a rate of 58.14.
Additionally, he also boasts seven tons and 13 fifties, and two unbeaten knocks.
Notably, his highest score in FC cricket so far reads 195.
Squad
A look at Maharashtra's squad
Here's a look at their 16-member squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Siddhesh Veer, Pavan Shah, Yash Kshirsagar, Siddharth Mhatre, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Ramkrishna Ghosh, Hitesh Walunj, Prashant Solanki, Rajneesh Gurbani, Pradeep Dadhe, Mukesh Choudhary, Murtuza Trunkwala, Satyajeet Bachhav, Dhanraj Shinde (wk), Sunny Pandit.