Rishabh Pant available for Delhi’s next Ranji clash, no updates from Virat Kohli yet. (Source -BCCI)
Star India batter Rishabh Pant has decided to make himself available for Delhi in the upcoming Ranji Trophy match, against Saurashtra, beginning in Rajkot on January 23. The development was confirmed by the DDCA’s Ashok Sharma, and it is worth noting that Pant last played a Ranji game back in the 2017-2018 season.
However, apart from Pant, questions have been raised on Virat Kohli’s participation as well. There is no clarity over Kohli’s participation in the Ranji Trophy game as of yet.
“Yes, Pant has confirmed his availability for the next Ranji game and will join the squad in Rajkot directly. About Virat Kohli, we want him to play but we haven’t heard from him, while Harshit Rana is selected in the T20 squad [for the England games] and hence is unavailable,” Ashok Sharma was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Interestingly, former India cricketers Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar had asked for the current crop of Indian players to start playing domestic cricket once again so they can avoid a result that was seen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
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Furthermore, the likes of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also expected to play for their respective state teams, Punjab and Mumbai. Skipper Rohit Sharma is also training with Mumbai.
India looking to get back to top form ahead of Champions Trophy
Speaking of team India, the side will be coming on the back of a loss in the BGT 2024-25. The side kicked off the series in Perth and managed to register a win. However, losses in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney saw the Indian team lose the series against Australia.
With a white-ball series against England around the corner, India will look to put in their best performances and go into the Champions Trophy in top form, as they look to get their hands on the title once more.