Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ankeet Bawane, the injured duo who missed Maharashtra’s Ranji Trophy opener against Delhi, have been cleared for the team’s next encounter. Bawane, the last season’s captain, will take over the reins against Saurashtra, starting in Rajkot on December 20.
While Gaikwad missed the Ranji opener due to a groin niggle, Bawane has recovered from a quadricep tear he suffered during the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal on November 30.
The batting mainstays cleared the fitness test after Maharashtra beat Delhi by nine wickets in Pune on Friday. While left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary is still unfit, Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) acting secretary Riyaz Bagwan confirmed to Sportstar that Bawane will lead the team.
“Bawane will be the captain and the squad has three changes. Bawane, Ruturaj and Pradeep Dadhe come in place for Atharva Dharmadhikari, Siddhesh Veer and Harshal Kate,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra contingent has complained of being forced to travel from Ahmedabad to Rajkot in an inferior bus on Sunday morning. While Gaikwad in an Instagram story referred to it as “the worst travel day ever”, it is understood that the bus was far from being comfortable.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Instagram story.
Despite the MCA booking an AC Volvo bus, the team was forced to travel in a bus with terrible suspensions. While the air-conditioning system hardly worked, the suspensions were so bad that some of the players literally jumped off their seats right through the journey.
“It turned out to be a terrible bus ride. It was discomforting for everyone and it just makes everyone more injury-prone, especially when the Ranji games come thick and fast,” captain Bawane told Sportstar.
Bagwan was aghast with the treatment meted out to the contingent. “We booked a bus through a travel agency in consultation with the Saurashtra Cricket Association. We were promised an AC Volvo bus but a terrible bus was sent. After landing in Ahmedabad, there was no other option for the squad to board the bus,” Bagwan said.
“This was the second time a bus malfunction has occurred for Maharashtra’s game in Saurashtra. We always ask our players about their preferred travel plans. Instead of taking a bus from Pune to Mumbai for a flight to Rajkot, the team preferred to fly to Ahmedabad and travel in a bus onward.”
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