The Delhi and District Cricket Association is likely to pick its squad on January 17 for the upcoming Rani Trophy game of the ongoing 2024-25 season against Saurashtra in Rajkot. There is no confirmation on Virat Kohli’s availability, the former Indian captain, who was expected to turn out for the domestic fixture.
The last game of this red-ball tournament for Virat Kohli came in 2012 when he faced Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad and had a decent turnaround against the bowling lineup consisting of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla. However, the veteran’s return in the upcoming game has not yet been confirmed.
Reports have claimed that the Indian wicket-keeper batter, Rishabh Pant, is likely to lead Delhi in the must-win contest, but the association has no concrete update on Virat Kohli’s participation in the first-class fixture. The Indian players have returned from Australia after their 3-1 series defeat in the five-match Test series of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
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“A selection meeting will happen in the afternoon tomorrow (January 17), and Rishabh will likely be the skipper for the away game versus Saurashtra.” The senior DDCA official confirmed.
A total of 38 members have been locked in the probable squad at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and the senior selection committee, chaired by Gursharan Singh, will pick the squad for the upcoming affair. All three of Pant, Virat Kohli, and Harshit Rana had been named as the three additional players, but the participation was subject to availability.
Rishabh Pant to lead Delhi vs Saurashtra; no confirmation on Virat Kohli’s availability
The fast bowler Rana, who just made his international debut for the blue brigade during the series opener of the BGT 2024-25 at the Optus Stadium in Perth and followed it with the day-night pink-ball fixture at the Adelaide Oval, has grabbed the limelight.
The fast bowler is unavailable for the Ranji game as he has also been part of the national squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series at home against England, which starts on January 22 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Virat Kohli, whose presence in the game isn’t guaranteed, is expected to at least practice with the other members of the squad, while Pant has confirmed his participation to DDCA present Rohan Jaitley and is all set to reunite with his teammates from junior days.
With the bat, the southpaw didn’t enjoy a great time as he could smash only 255 runs in nine innings at an average of 28.33 and a strike rate of around 60 with the best score of 61, which he celebrated during the second innings of the fifth and final Test of the trip at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Virat Kohli struggled in the tour with just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75 and a strike rate of 47.97 thanks to the unbeaten 100 runs that he made during the second innings of the opening encounter in Perth.
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On the opponent’s side, Cheteshwar Pujara is expected to return to the side as the left-arm veteran pacer, Jaydev Unadkat, will lead Saurashtra. There is the probability of the star left-arm spin all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja, turning up for the game. However, he returned home a few days later from Australia having taken a break for the family.
Delhi is currently in the fourth position in their group with 14 points in five encounters and will need a strong performance in the last two games against Saurashtra and Railways to qualify for the knockouts. The chart is led by Tamil Nadu with 19 points, followed by Chandigarh.