Rishabh Pant obliges BCCI for return of Ranji Trophy but Virat Kohli remains silent on availability
The Delhi cricket team has received a major boost ahead of the next round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024-25, as Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is all set to return to the red-ball game for the first time since 2017-18. season.
Rishabh Pant has confirmed that he will play for Delhi in their upcoming 2024-25 Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match against Saurashtra, starting on January 23 in Rajkot. However, there is still uncertainty regarding Virat Kohli’s availability for the Ranji comeback.
Notably, Pant last played a Ranji Trophy match during the 2017-18 season, while Kohli hasn’t featured in India’s premier red competition since 2012. However, Pant and Kohli have been included in Delhi’s probable squad for the rest of the season. season, depending on their availability.
Good news for Delhi as Rishabh Pant returns to Ranji Trophy after 6 years
Meanwhile, Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Ashok Sharma has shared a fresh update on the availability of Indian cricket team stars Pant and Virat Kohli for the upcoming Elite Group D matches of the ongoing 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, where Delhi currently fourth in the points standings.
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DDCA secretary confirmed that Rishabh Pant will join the Delhi side directly in Rajkot for the next Ranji encounter against Saurashtra. However, Virat Kohli has yet to contact the DDCA, leaving uncertainty over his availability, especially considering that Harshit Rana will be on national duty during the match.
Delhi pacer Harshit Rana has been named in India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, starting on January 22, making him unavailable for the final two matches of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Rana was also part of India’s Test squad for the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
DDCA confirms Rishabh Pant’s return but awaits Virat Kohli’s decision for Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
PTI quoted Ashok Sharma as saying, “Yes, Pant has confirmed his availability for the next Ranji match and will directly join the squad in Rajkot. As for Virat Kohli, we want him to play but we have not heard from him as Harshit Rana has been selected in the T20 squad and is therefore not available.”
Notably, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant both struggled for runs in the Australian tour, where India lost the five-match Test series 1-3 to the hosts. While the former Indian captain managed just 190 runs in 9 innings, the left-handed batsman failed to capitalize on his good starts, amassing just 255 runs.
Pant was recently dropped from India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against England. Hence, the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman will feature in Delhi for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, as the BCCI has instructed all centrally contracted players to represent their national teams in domestic cricket.
Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal went into Ranji action
If they are not available for their domestic teams, then they have to give a physiotherapist’s report and get clearance from India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and coach Ajit Agarkar. On the other hand, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also available for Punjab and Mumbai respectively.
Mumbai will face Jammu and Kashmir while Punjab will play Karnataka in the next round of the ongoing Ranji season. Rohit Sharma was also recently seen training with the Mumbai team for their game against Jammu and Kashmir, but it is not clear if he will take part in the game.
– Rishabh Pant for Delhi.
– Shubman Gill for Punjab.
– Yashasvi Jaiswal for Mumbai.All the three young sensations will play the Ranji trophy in the next encounter – INDIAN CRICKET IS IN SAFE HANDS. 🇮🇳🌟 pic.twitter.com/DkTPiALCew
— Khalid khan (@imkhalidsports) January 14, 2025
