Focus on Iyer, Kishan as Ranji Trophy begins today

Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan

Shreyas Iyer would like to sit back on a ‘Time Machine' to revive his start-stop international career while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly "misplaced priorities", when the 90th edition of Ranji Trophy starts across the country with hundreds of players ready to slog it out for different ambitions and varied goals.

Mumbai, who take on Baroda in Baroda, once again would be a team to beat with Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Iyer in its ranks although the Khan brothers - Sarfaraz and Musheer - will be missing; elder one due to national duty and younger one because of a recent road accident.

The Indian cricket board's powerful rap on the knuckles to the ‘IPL happy duo' was a message loud and clear to anyone who would care to listen - to earn mega bucks in IPL auction, learn to give respect to the foundation of country's cricket - India's very own national championship. Iyer wouldn't mind having a 1,321-run season like he had in the 2015-16 edition which brought him into national reckoning. He is at the crossroads where it may not take long to slip off the selector's radar as his favourite ODI format is slowly losing relevance.

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