Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant Included In Delhi's Probable Squad For Ranji Trophy 2024-25
Virat Kohl and Pant might play for Delhi in Ranji Trophy (PTI)
In big news coming from Indian cricketing circles, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been named in the 84-man list of Delhi players for the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy. This is the first time Virat Kohli has been called up by DDCA to play domestic cricket for Delhi since 2019, and if he does play the Ranji Trophy game, it would be a big boost for domestic cricket.
Notably, Ishant Sharma, who played Ranji Trophy last season for Delhi, has not been included in the extended list, which is a sign that he might move to another state for the upcoming domestic season. Delhi will start their campaign against Chattisgarh on 11 October, but with India scheduled to play a Test series against New Zealand around that time, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are most likely not to play the initial rounds of the Ranji Trophy.
Kohli, Pant Might Play Ranji Games After New Zealand Series
The duo is likely to feature in the game against Jharkhand, which is scheduled to start on November 13th. Virat Kohli has retired from T20Is, so he will not be part of the T20I series against South Africa, which is to be played at the start of November. As a result, the star batter is expected to be available for the whole period between the New Zealand and Australia series, which would be a big boost for Delhi cricket.
Virat Kohli's Need For Game-Time In Red-Ball Cricket
Also, Virat Kohli and Pant's participation in the Ranji Trophy aligns with BCCI's new policy of making their international stars play domestic cricket whenever possible. Gautam Gambhir, the current Indian head coach, has also stressed this point, and the move is likely to provide Virat Kohli with good game time to work on his red-ball game ahead of the big series against Australia.
Virat Kohli also struggled in the first Test match against Bangladesh recently and it was just his second Test in 2024, and he now seems ready to concentrate his energies more on Test cricket after retiring from T20Is. Kohli last played a Ranji game for Delhi against Uttar Pradesh in 2012, while Rishabh Pant, who recently made his Test comeback with a brilliant century, last played a Ranji game in 2016.