Yashasvi Jaiswal returns, Shardul Thakur to lead Mumbai in Ranji Trophy quarter final

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shardul Thakur for Mumbai [Source: X]

India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been included in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy 2025–26 squad for the quarter-finals after being ruled out for most of the tournament earlier. In late 2025, Jaiswal was diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis and was hospitalised following a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match.

This illness halted Yashasvi Jaiswal's Ranji Trophy appearances for his state. However, he was prolific with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He scored at an average of 48.33 from his three innings, including a 50-ball 101-run knock against Haryana.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shardul Thakur set for Ranji Trophy return

After recovering from the illness, Yashasvi Jaiswal featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite 2025–26, where he averaged 21.33, and unfortunately also missed out on selection for the T20 World Cup 2026 squad, as he was not included in the final list.

As per a recent report by Indian Express journalist Devendra Pandey, Mumbai’s senior selection committee has included Yashasvi Jaiswal for the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, where Shardul Thakur is also making his return after missing initial games due to injury and will be leading the Mumbai side.

Mumbai will play Karnataka on February 6 in the fourth quarter-final, a match that will feature players such as Tushar Deshpande, Tanush Kotian, and Musheer Khan. Sarfaraz Khan has been ruled out of the quarter-final due to a hamstring injury sustained during Mumbai’s group-stage match in the Ranji Trophy.

Mumbai’s updated squad for Ranji Trophy 2025/26

Shardul Thakur, Akash Anand, Sylvester D’Souza, Tushar Deshpande, Royston Dias, Shivam Dube, Akhil Herwadkar, Irfan Umair, Sarfaraz Khan, Tanush Kotian, Siddhesh Lad, Ayush Mhatre, Shams Mulani, Musheer Khan, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Tamore, Yashasvi Jaiswal

Jaiswal’s prolific year in 2025

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s year 2025 has been quite impressive, with strong performances across formats whenever he got the opportunity to bat. In Test cricket, he scored 745 runs from 19 innings at an average of 39.2.

In ODIs, he averaged 57 from four matches, while in the IPL, he struck at 161.5 across 17 matches, scoring 704 runs at an average of 44.0.

Jaiswal’s exclusion from India squads

Despite such a prolific run in both domestic and international cricket, 2025 also saw Yashasvi Jaiswal miss several opportunities. In the 2025 Champions Trophy, despite initially being part of the squad, he was a late exclusion due to an ankle niggle.

He was also ignored for the T20 World Cup 2026, as selectors preferred wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who played breathtaking knocks in the SMAT and Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025 to strengthen his case. 

Kishan further proved his worth in the New Zealand T20I series, and when paired with Abhishek Sharma’s recent impressive performances, the duo appears settled for the T20 World Cup campaign.

With these exclusions and the presence of settled top-order combinations in limited-overs formats, Yashasvi Jaiswal, the potential all-format star of India, finds his future outside Tests still uncertain.

Except for the Test side, India’s ODI and T20I teams have largely settled opening combinations, making it a challenging phase for Jaiswal to break into all three formats despite being on par with other firebrand batters like Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.