Since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) installed a few rules and regulations on the importance of the senior players going back to the domestic tournaments to keep themselves in the circle of selection, many Indian players have turned up in the sixth round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. KL Rahul wasn’t part of the clash for Karnataka against Punjab at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
It was a merry-go-round season for the seasoned campaigner, who was dropped in the middle of the home series against New Zealand but returned to the side for the tour down under. KL Rahul finished the year 2024 in the longest format with the help of 493 runs in 16 innings at an average of 35.21 and a strike rate of 57.53.
The right-handed batter missed the five-match Test series against England at home with injury since the opening encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. He returned during the home series against Bangladesh and smashed a fine half-century at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
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A poor couple of innings against the Kiwis in Bengaluru saw him getting dropped for the next two encounters in Pune and Mumbai. KL Rahul wasn’t expected to make a return to the national side. But Rohit Sharma, Indian captain’s captain, wasn’t available for the opening game of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
KL Rahul is to play Karnataka’s next Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game on January 30
This led the management to open with the 32-year-old alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. The duo cracked a 161-run opening partnership during the second innings, which sifted Rohit in the middle order since his late arrival.
KL Rahul ended the five-match Test series as the fifth leading run-getter with the help of 276 runs in ten innings at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of 50, shouldering on two half-centuries at the best score of 84 in Perth.
The veteran missed Karnataka’s sixth round of the Ranji game against Punjab at home. The Mayank Agarwal-led side had a terrific time as they bundled out the Shubman Gill-led side for just 55 runs in the first innings. The 203-run knock from Samaran Ravichandran in 277 deliveries claimed a lead of 420 runs in the first innings.
Gill celebrated a 102-run knock in the second innings before getting folded up for 213 runs in the second innings as Karnataka won by an innings and 207 runs. This led the side to get a promotion to the second position with two victories in five games at a net run rate of +0.643.
KL Rahul will now, as reported, mark his return to first-class cricket after four years during the last group-stage clash for the side against Haryana on January 30. That will be a huge boost for the side, which has been aiming for a semifinal spot in the tournament.
Along with KL Rahul, Virat Kohli is expected to play the same round for Delhi against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. KL Raul will hope to get some good rhythm off the bat, going into the three-match ODI series against England at home, as a preparation for the Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place on February 19.
India will play their opening encounter against Bangladesh on the following day at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The seasoned batter is likely to fight with Rishabh Pant for a place in the middle order along with wicket-keeping duties.