Fit-again Shaw included in Mumbai squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

"Initially, I was very sad to miss the Tests in Australia, because I wanted to win games for India" - Shaw © Getty

Three months after rolling his ankle in Australia, which forced him to miss the Test series, Prithvi Shaw is set to return to action. The opener was named in the Mumbai squad, to be led by India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which begins in Indore from February 21.

"I am really looking forward to taking the field again and performing at my best. I have missed playing competitive cricket due to my injury and I'm ready now to give my best for Mumbai and India," Shaw told TOI.

The 19-year-old has spent considerable time undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

After slamming a hundred on his Test debut in October last year, Shaw suffered a setback in November when just before the first Test in Adelaide, he twisted his ankle while attempting a catch in a practice match.

He had to be rushed to hospital, where it was discovered that he had torn his ligament. Though it was initially thought that he might be ready to play in the second Test, Shaw eventually had to miss the entire series. "I thought I would recover, but the swelling would keep coming back," Shaw said.

"Initially, I was very sad to miss the Tests in Australia, because I wanted to win games for India. I would have gained good experience playing against a quality attack, but I can't do anything about it. However, I felt better when we beat Australia in the Test series," said the opener.

On Thursday, he cleared the Yo-Yo test at the NCA too, which convinced the Mumbai selectors, led by former India all-rounder Ajit Agarkar, that the batsman was now fit to be picked.

Still hurting after crashing out of the league stage of the Ranji Trophy this season, Mumbai will be bolstered by the presence of not just Shaw, but also Rahane and Shreyas Iyer, who missed quite a few games this season due to his India 'A' commitments.

Squad: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Dhawal Kulkarni, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Suryakumar Yadav, Akash Parkar, Eknath Kerkar, Dhrumil Matkar, Shams Mulani, Shubham Ranjane, Tushar Deshpande, Royston Dias.