Prithvi Shaw will replace Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain and will lead Team Maharashtra in the phase of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 competition.
Ruturaj Gaikwad will miss action for Maharashtra
Gaikwad, who leads the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is among the unlucky cricketers in India who are not getting consistent opportunities despite performing well due to the stacked lineups in India across formats.
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He has played 23 T20Is and 6 ODIs for the India National Cricket Team. His last appearance in ODI cricket came on December 19, 2023 in Gqeberha, and his last T20I appearance was against Zimbabwe in Harare on July 13, 2024.
Despite being left out of the lineup, Ruturaj Gaikwad couldn’t stop the grind and now he has been rewarded by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He has been named in India’s ODI squad for the home series against the South African national cricket team and will battle Yashasvi Jaiswal for a place in the top order.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s selection comes on the back of his heroics for India A in the recently concluded three-match one-day series against South Africa A where he finished as the leading run-scorer.
The talented right-handed batsman scored 210 runs in three innings, with a stunning knock of 117 runs off 129 deliveries in the opening match, and also won the Player of the Series award.
Prithvi Shaw replaces Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 starts on November 26 and will clash with the three-match ODI series between India and South Africa, which will be played on November 30, December 3 and December 6.
With the departure of Ruturaj Gaikwad from the squad, the Maharashtra selection committee has decided to hand over the leadership responsibility to Prithvi Shaw, who will lead Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy phase.
Notably, Ruturaj Gaikwad was initially named captain on Friday when Maharashtra announced the 16-man squad for the competition, and no vice-captain was named.
“On Sunday, multiple sources within the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) confirmed that Shaw will be elevated to captaincy once Gaikwad departs. The selectors and team management had already informed Shaw about taking charge if required, and the opener had been advised to be prepared for the role,” the report in Sportstar said.
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Updated Maharashtra Team:
Prithvi Shaw (C), Arshin Kulkarni, Rahul Tripathi, Azim Kazi, Nikhil Naik (WK), Ramakrishna Ghosh, Vicky Ostwal, Tanay Sanghvi, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Mandar Bhandari (WK), Jalaj Saxena, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Yogesh Dongare, Ranjit Nikam
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