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Virat Kohli has been ordered by the secretary to follow in the footsteps of Ajinkya Rahane and play the Ranji Trophy


Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Ashok Sharma has confirmed that both Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been added to the probable squad for the final two rounds of the ongoing 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.

With the Ranji Trophy camp underway, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary stressed that both Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant should play in the final round of the elite first-class tournament, citing the example of the Mumbai players, who always play for their national team when available.

DDCA confirms that Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been named in Delhi’s probable squad for the final two rounds of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.

Kohli is currently under fire for a string of poor performances and even his place in the Test team is now under scrutiny after his poor showing in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 where he scored just 190 runs against Australia.

Amid heavy criticism, Ashok Sharma believes Virat Kohli should take inspiration from the Mumbai players and play at least one match for Delhi in the ongoing Ranji Trophy in 2024-25. The DDCA secretary also mentioned how Delhi Indian players have refused to respect domestic cricket over the years.

Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India squad announcement date revealed, KL Rahul ignored as Rishabh Pant’s backup finalized

Ashok Sharma was quoted by the Indian Express as saying, “Kohli and Rishabh Pant’s names are in Delhi’s probable squad for the last two rounds of the Ranji Trophy competition. Both Virat’s and Rishabh’s names are in the likely list. The Ranji Trophy camp is underway. Virat should take inspiration from Mumbai cricketers and play for Delhi in domestic cricket whenever he is available.”

I don’t think he will play a single Ranji game: Ashok Sharma

The DDCA secretary admitted that he does not see Rishabh Pant and the former Indian captain turning up for Delhi in the last round of this Ranji season. He lamented that Delhi does not have a culture like Mumbai, where international stars play Ranji games whenever they are available.

Mr. Sharma further added, “You see, there has always been a culture in Mumbai where their Indian players have turned up for Ranji matches whenever they were available. It is missing in the north, especially in Delhi. BCCI also mentioned that players should participate in domestic cricket. I feel Virat and Rishabh should play at least one match but I don’t think they will.”

Meanwhile, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley has denied contacting Virat Kohli for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy games, saying it is the selectors and the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) who will be in touch with the player and they the best people to answer such queries.

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s retirement mentioned as he was given strict orders to ‘stop senseless antics on the field’

Rohan Jaitely suggests Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant to play domestic cricket

However, Rohan Jaitely said that Virat and Rishabh are fit and available, so they must turn up in Delhi for the red-ball tournament, especially with the duo having had a tough time on the Australian tour, where India suffered a 1-3 Test loss. series earlier this month.

Jaitely stated, “It is extremely important to participate in a domestic tournament. If he is on national duty, he obviously cannot participate, but otherwise he should. Because players are managed by the NCA and national selectors, there are multiple things, based on their workload management etc. But they would keep domestic cricket on their priority list, which is extremely important.”



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