Star Indian cricketers Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been named as potential players for Delhi’s squad in the upcoming Ranji Trophy for the 2024-25 season. However, as of January 14, the selectors have not yet contacted Kohli, nor has he indicated his interest in participating, according to sources. It’s been a long time since Kohli played a Ranji match, with his last appearance in 2012. Rishabh Pant last played in this top first-class tournament in 2017.
Both Kohli and Pant were also included in the probable list for Delhi in the previous year’s Ranji Trophy. Recently, Ashok Sharma, the secretary of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), encouraged Kohli to participate in domestic tournaments. He pointed out that the trend of top players participating in domestic matches has faded and suggested that Kohli take notes from players in Mumbai, where such involvement remains strong. Notably, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been seen training with Mumbai’s Ranji squad recently.
Fans and cricket experts have been calling on both Kohli and Rohit to play in domestic matches, especially given their current struggles in Test cricket. Kohli’s performance has seen a decline since 2020, accumulating just 2028 runs in 39 matches (69 innings) with an average of 30.72, which includes three centuries and nine fifties. This has led to a significant drop in his Test average, going from 54.97 in 2019 to 46.85 now.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has also stressed the importance of Indian players participating in domestic cricket whenever possible, especially after the recent Test series in Australia. In that series, Kohli scored his 30th Test century, making an unbeaten 100 in the first match in Perth. However, he struggled to maintain his form, with Australian bowlers exploiting certain weaknesses, resulting in him being caught behind multiple times and ending the series with just 190 runs over nine innings at an average of 23.75. This disappointing performance has raised concerns about his position in the Indian Test squad, prompting calls for him to improve his technique.
In addition to Kohli and Pant, fast bowler Harshit Rana has also been listed among the 41 probable players for the Ranji Trophy. The inclusion of these international stars in the Delhi team will depend on their availability. Delhi is set to face Saurashtra in their next Ranji Trophy match on January 23 in Rajkot.
