Star opening batsman Yashnasvi Jaiswal has been given a massive shot in the arm on Wednesday as he was named back to the Mumbai domestic white-ball team for Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) with an eye on rise. The Southpaw prodigy will return to the playing XI against Goa this New Year’s Eve after a short hiatus due to health concern.
The news was confirmed by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar, who said that Jaiswal also tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday. Jaiswal, who turned 24 on December 18, is available to play now after an episode of acute gastroenteritis which kept him out at the beginning of the competition.
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Jaiswal’s no-show in Mumbai’s initial games became the talk of domestic circles. The opener was hospitalised in Pune after complaining of severe stomach ache during his team’s SMAT over Rajasthan earlier this month.
He had a medical checkup which diagnosed an acute gastroenteritis that caused him to lose much weight and be subjected to bed rest. As a result, Jaiswal was absent from Mumbai’s first two matches – against Sikkim and Uttarakhand in Jaipur. But the opener is now set to take the field after passing a successful session at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) for his final test.
“Yashasvi will be available for the game against Goa (January 31),” said Khanvilkar. “He’ll reach Jaipur by the 29th evening or on the 30th in morning and will be with the team.”
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Strategic Shift: Rohit Out, Jaiswal In
The returning Jaiswal matches up with India veteran opener Rohit Sharma leaving the Mumbai camp. According to the BCCI’s workload management policy, Rohit was set to feature in the first two matches of the competition only as a means to get some match fitness.
While Rohit sparkled in the first game with a majestic 155 against Sikkim, he dismissed for a duck in second match against Uttarakhand. It means Jaiswal should step up and fill the void left by Rohit after his elevation to top-order slot while there would also be a new pair at the top for Mumbai which could feature either Angkrish Raghuvanshi or Ishan Mulchandani.
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Group C: Mumbai Start Strongly:
Even without Jaiswal, Mumbai have been in dominant form: captained by the India seamer allrounder Shardul Thakur.
Match 1: Beat Sikkim by 8 wickets (Rohit Sharma 155).
Match 2: Beat Uttarakhand by 51 runs.
Current Position: Top of Elite Group C with a 100 per cent victory record.
National: Watching for the Kiwi Series
For Jaiswal, these upcoming domestic matches represent much more than simply a return to full fitness: they are an essential audition for the national team’s 2026 schedule. India will host New Zealand for a three-match ODI series, beginning on January 11, 2026 in Vadodara.
With a maiden ODI century (116 not out) in the last match against South Africa at Visakhapatnam, Jaiswal has presented himself as a candidate to open with Rohit Sharma in 50-overs cricket. The national selectors will keep an eye on how he performs against Goa and goes about his business for Mumbai in the games to follow, as they track whether he has got all his strength back and whether he can sustain through the long day job of a four-day game.
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