Rishabh Pant confirms his readiness for Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra, but there is no news about Virat Kohli
File photo of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant© Agence France-Presse
Indian wicket-keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has been made available for Delhi’s upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra starting from Rajkot from January 23, DDCA Secretary Ashok Sharma said on Tuesday. Pant last played a Ranji Trophy match in the 2017-18 season. However, there is no clarity on the participation of superstar Virat Kohli, who last appeared in the Ranji Trophy for Delhi in 2012.
Both Indian players have been selected in Delhi’s odds for the remainder of the season.
“Yes, Pant has confirmed his availability for the next Ranji match and will join the team in Rajkot immediately. Regarding Virat Kohli, we want him to play but we have not heard from him while Harshit Rana has been selected in the T20 squad and is therefore not available,” Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Ashok Sharma said. For PTI.
Former India players Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri are among many who want the current crop of players, especially the struggling Rohit Sharma and Kohli, to play red-ball cricket after losing the series in Australia.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also expected to play for their respective state teams. Rohit’s training for Mumbai on Tuesday generated a lot of interest, but it remains to be seen whether he will be available for the next round of Ranji Trophy matches starting on January 23.
There was also a heated debate over Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy to regain red-ball form alongside Rohit.
It is the norm for DDCA to name its star players in the prospect list but their inclusion in the final squad is subject to their availability.
While Rohit had himself rested from the final Test in Australia due to poor form, Kohli’s struggles outside off-stump worsened as his tally of slips rose to eight over five Tests.
Besides Kohli, Pant and Harshit Rana, Delhi has identified 38 potential players for the remaining two matches. In Group D, Delhi ranks fourth in the standings with 14 points from five matches.
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