Recently, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has announced the 15-member squad along with four stand-byes for the first two matches of the upcoming Ranji Trophy season (2019/20). Though the Indian team has no Test cricket assignment in this month, the in-form tall Indian pacer Ishant Sharma hasn’t been selected in Delhi squad for the first two games of the new Ranji Trophy season. Recently, the DDCA has revealed why they haven’t selected Ishant Sharma in the starter of their new first-class season.
Delhi will start their journey in the Ranji Trophy 2019/20 with the away game against Kerala that will begin on 9th December. In this Group A contest, Delhi will face Andhra in their next game, starting on 17th December.
On last Wednesday (4th December), the DDCA selectors have announced the 15-member Delhi squad along with four stand-byes for the first two matches of the new Ranji Trophy season. Though Ishant Sharma was practising with the Delhi side till Tuesday (3rd December), he has reportedly made himself unavailable for the selections.
Senior Selection Committee has announced the squad for the Ranji Trophy.
"Delhi Ranji Trophy team" pic.twitter.com/1tbYt2jBaw— DDCA (@delhi_cricket) December 4, 2019
According to the recent TOI report, Ishant Sharma is likely to head to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for his fitness test. Delhi chief selector Atul Wassan has most recently spoken about this with TOI.
Wassan told TOI, “We were informed that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) didn’t release him to play Ranji Trophy for now. We were just told that he is unavailable. He’s probably going to NCA to train and look after his body. We have not been told when he will be available to play.”
India will play their next Test series against the hosts New Zealand in late February 2020. It will be the two-match Test series that will run between 21st February and 4th March 2020.
Ishant Sharma wants to play well beyond 100 Tests for India and keep this form
Since his Test debut in May 2007, the tall Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has played 96 Tests where he has bagged 292 wickets. The right-arm pacer is four matches away from the 100 Test milestone. According to a TOI source, in-form Ishant Sharma is focusing on playing more than 100 Tests for India.
A close source from Delhi team management claimed according to TOI, “Ishant has been playing for 12 years. He is wary of the workload now. He bowls at full tilt whenever he plays for Delhi. He is at the prime of his career at the moment. He wants to play well beyond 100 Tests for India and keep this form. He has informed the Delhi team management to not chalk their plans this season completely around him.”
In this year, Ishant Sharma has played six Tests where he has scalped 25 wickets after bowling 135.4 overs. Among the bowlers who have bowled at least 100 overs in Test cricket in 2019, Ishant Sharma has the best bowling average (15.56).