NEW DELHI: Former India captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed his availability for Mumbai's first two matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which begins on December 24.
In contrast, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal - who is recovering from gastritis - along with Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube, will not feature in the opening fixtures of the tournament.
"Rohit will be available for the first two games," a MCA source confirmed to PTI late in the night.
"Jaiswal, Dube and even Rahane will not be a part of the Mumbai squad for at least first two matches as the selection panel is going ahead with a young squad," Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil had earlier told PTI.
This has also raised questions over the clarity of communication between chairman of selectors Patil and the MCA administration, with Patil appearing unaware of Rohit's availability when asked about it earlier in the day.
"Yashasvi is undergoing treatment for a stomach issue and he should be alright soon. We thought that the youngsters should be given a chance. But whenever they will be available, they will be accommodated," he said.
"But for the first two matches we are experimenting with youngsters," Patil had said.
The elite division of the 50-over tournament will be held from December 24 to January 8 in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur and Bengaluru while the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru will host the knockout matches from January 12-18.
Mumbai are placed in Group C along with Punjab, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Goa and Himachal Pradesh. They will take on Sikkim on the opening day of the tournament on December 24.
