NEW DELHI: Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal, the leading run-getter in the recently-concluded Ranji Trophy season, will lead Rest of India in the Irani Cup match against Madhya Pradesh, starting March 1 in Gwalior.

Mayank Agarwal, who is looking to regain his Test spot, is likely to partner Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran.Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan is the most notable absentee in the 16-member ROI squad after sustaining a finger injury.

The match was initially scheduled to be played in Indore, but was shifted to Gwalior after the Holkar Stadium earned the right to host the third India-Australia Test, starting March 1. Bengal batter Sudip Kumar Gharami, Yashasvi Jaiswal, B Indrajith and Yash Dhull will form the fulcrum of ROI’s batting unit.Wicketkeeper-opener Harvik Desai and left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya are the only two players from the current Ranji champion side Saurashtra to feature in the squad.

ROI’s fast-bowling department will be led by the Bengal pace duo of Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep and will have Sakariya and Delhi’s Navdeep Saini for company. The selection panel comprising SS Das, S Sharath, Salil Ankola and Subroto Banerjee have also picked Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and Punjab leg-spinner Mayank Markande in the ROI squad.

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