DDCA confirm Rishabh Pant’s availability for Ranji Trophy but have not received any communication about Virat Kohli.
DDCA have confirmed that wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has announced his availability for Delhi’s next Ranji Trophy fixture against Saurashtra.
This will be Pant’s first involvement in India’s Premier domestic competition since 2017-18.
Pant is among a host of India’s test stars who have declared their eligibility to play in the latest round of Ranji Trophy fixtures. Shubman Gill will be suiting up for Punjab, and while Rohit Sharma’s participation is unclear, he has been a part of the Mumbai training camp. Yashasvi Jaiswal has also confirmed his availability for Mumbai.
This influx follows India head coach Gautam Gamhir’s comments about players taking Domestic Cricket seriously.
However, the DDCA has also revealed that they have not received any communication and clarity about Virat Kohli’s participation. Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy game for Delhi way back in 2012.
“Yes, Pant has confirmed his availability for next Ranji game and will join the squad in Rajkot directly,” Sharma told PTI. “About Virat Kohli, we want him to play but we haven’t heard from him. Harshit Rana is selected in the T20 squad [for the England games] and hence is unavailable.”
Besides Kohli, Pant and Harshit, Delhi have named 38 probables for the remaining two games. In Group D, Delhi are fourth in the standings with 14 points from five games.
A host of former players have been advocating for current test stars to play Domestic Cricket on a regular basis. Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri have echoed Gambhir’s sentiments and it seems like the players are finally taking heed of what is being spoken outside.