Irani Cup | Chance for Mayank Agarwal to remain relevant

If Agarwal and his likely opening partner Abhimanyu Easwaran are the two men on the national selectors' radar, there is another aspect that will be closely monitored by the selection committee — the next generation of spin bowlers

The Irani Cup could rekindle Rest of India skipper Mayank Agarwal's hopes of returning to the national setup when his side takes on 2021-22 Ranji Trophy champions Madhya Pradesh in the season-ending domestic tournament beginning here Wednesday.

Though the Irani Cup has lost much of its significance in the last 15 years as most national players are always on the move, the tournament, at an individual level, is important for Agarwal, especially in the backdrop of KL Rahul's dipping form.

Agarwal, a stylish opener, was dropped from the India team last year after a poor series in South Africa.

However, with Rahul enduring a poor run of form and Agarwal ending the Ranji season at the top of the scoring charts with 990 runs, he could return to the national fold at some stage during the year.

While the squad for the last two Tests against Australia has been selected, another good performance from Agarwal in the season-ending first-class tournament could make him a potential replacement for Rahul for the World Test Championship final in London if India qualify. He could also be seriously considered for the tour of West Indies.

In the context of the Irani Cup match, Rest of India remain firm favourites against a depleted Madhya Pradesh in the absence of their top batter Rajat Patidar and regular captain Aditya Srivastava.

But the likes of pacer Avesh Khan, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya and batter Yash Dubey are no pushovers in the Madhya Pradesh side.