Venugopal Rao, the Indian batsman who last played an international game way back in 2006, has made a comeback to the first-class cricket and the right-handed batsman will represent Andhra Pradesh in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season.
He last played a first-class game for Gujarat against Tamil Nadu in the year 2015. Since then, he has yet to play a game at a senior level. Rao, for the upcoming season, just did not make a comeback, but also decided to switch his base back to Andhra Pradesh.
Hanuma Vihari led side includes likes of regulars likes of KS Bharat, Ricky Bhui and B. Ayyappa. The addition of Venugopal Rao is a big boost for the side, as they needed someone of international experience in their ranks.
Earlier, it was Mohammad Kaif who played for the state for two seasons, but he decided to captain debutant team Chattisgarh team in the previous season after his contract didn’t renew. For this year, as well, he will play for the Chattisgarh in their second season.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh will open its Ranji Trophy against Tamil Nadu in Chennai. They will take on Baroda in their next game in Baroda. Finally, they will play a home game two years when they take on Odisha in the third game of the season.
Andhra Pradesh finished as the third-placed team in Group A, as they finished Ranji season with 28 points in their account and narrowly missed out a qualification to the next round.