Laxmi Ratan Shukla Named Rest Of India Batting Coach For Irani Cup Clash With J&K

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Former India all-rounder and current Bengal senior men's head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla has been appointed as the batting coach of the Rest of India (ROI) side for their upcoming Irani Cup clash with Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir.

The match is scheduled to be played from October 1 to 5 at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium. This marks Shukla's first coaching assignment with a BCCI team. Former India fast bowler and ex-national selector Debasish Mohanty will serve as the bowling coach for the game, while Milap Mewada has been named the fielding coach, a BCCI source confirmed to IANS on Thursday.

Shukla, 46, played 3 ODIs for India in 1999 and represented Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals in the IPL. He has been serving as Bengal's head coach for the past few seasons. Notably, Bengal's Ranji Trophy campaign in the previous season ended with a semifinal defeat to eventual champions Jammu and Kashmir.

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will lead the 15-member Rest of India squad, with right-handed batter Sarfaraz Khan named as his deputy. Jammu and Kashmir, having secured their maiden Ranji Trophy title earlier this year, will be making their first-ever appearance in the prestigious Irani Cup on home turf.

The ROI squad features fast bowler Akash Deep, who has been on the sidelines for the last seven months due to a lower back injury, though his participation remains subject to clearing a fitness test. India pacer Mukesh Kumar will spearhead the bowling attack alongside Mukesh Choudhary and Aryan Pandey.

The spin duties will be managed by young left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Manav Suthar and off-spinner Saransh Jain, who recently made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Anukul Roy.

Karnataka's Smaran Ravichandran, the leading run-scorer in last season's Ranji Trophy, is present alongside Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, and Ayush Doseja, while Aryan Juyal is the back-up wicketkeeper in the squad.

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