India’s cricketing stars Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been named in Delhi’s probable squad for the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. This marks a potential return to domestic cricket for Kohli, who has not participated in the tournament for several years. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) recently announced a list of 84 probables, including Kohli, Pant, and pacer Navdeep Saini.
Virat Kohli’s returns to domestic cricket
Virat Kohli’s possible return to domestic cricket has cricket fans excited. His last appearance in the Ranji Trophy was during the 2012-13 season when he played against Uttar Pradesh after an international series against New Zealand. Since then, Kohli has focused on his international career, becoming one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Rishabh Pant’s domestic career
Rishabh Pant, known for his explosive batting, has a strong connection to Delhi’s Ranji Trophy team. Since making his debut in 2015, Pant has played 17 Ranji matches, earning a reputation as a game-changer. One of his standout performances came in the 2016-17 season, where he smashed the fastest century in Ranji history a 48-ball masterpiece against Jharkhand.
Navdeep Saini’s role in the squad
Navdeep Saini, another prominent player named in the probable squad, has had a fluctuating career. After breaking into the national team, Saini’s form dipped, and he found himself out of favor. However, his inclusion in Delhi’s squad suggests he’s looking to make a strong comeback.
The exclusion of Ishant Sharma from Delhi’s probable squad has raised eyebrows. Sharma, who played a pivotal role for Delhi last season, has been a consistent performer in the Ranji Trophy.
Ranji Trophy schedule and challenges
The Ranji Trophy is set to begin on October 11, 2024, with Delhi’s first match scheduled against Chandigarh. While Kohli and Pant’s participation is uncertain, the overlap with India’s Test series against New Zealand, starting on October 16, complicates their availability. Both players will be integral to India’s preparations for the Test series, which could limit their involvement in the domestic tournament. A fitness test is scheduled for September 26, 2024, for the players selected in the probable squad.
DDCA announced their Ranji Trophy Probables Today. The U23 teams will be selected from the below mentioned players only.
Indian Test team members Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been included in the list of players as well, first time since 2019. pic.twitter.com/oiQ0ZGYCf3
— CricDomestic (@CricDomestic_) September 24, 2024
Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are integral parts of India’s national team. With the Test series against New Zealand starting just five days after the Ranji Trophy kicks off, their availability for Delhi is in doubt. Even though they’ve been named in the probable squad, their involvement will depend on the scheduling of international duties.
Delhi’s 84-member probables list for Ranji Trophy 2024-25
Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Himmat Singh, Pranshu Vijayan, Anirudh Chowdhary, Kshitiz Sharma, Vaibhav Kandpal, Siddhant Bansal, Samarth Seth, Jonty Sidhu, Siddhant Sharma, Tishant Dabla, Navdeep Saini, Harsh Tyagi, Lakshay Thareja (wk), Sumit Mathur, Shivank Vashisth, Salil Malhotra, Ayush Badoni, Gagan Vats, Rahul S Dagar, Hrithik Shokeen, Mayank Rawat, Anuj Rawat (wk), Simarjeet Singh, Shivam Kumar Tripathi, Kuldip Yadav, Lalit Yadav, Prince Choudhary, Shivam Kishore Kumar, Shivam Gupta (wk), Vaibhav Sharma, Jitesh Singh, Rohit Yadav, Sumit Kumar, Anmol Sharma, Keshav Daba, Sanat Sangwan, Shubham Sharma (wk), Aryan Chaudhary, Aryan Rana, Bhagwan Singh, Pranav Rajvanshi (wk), Saurav Dagar, Money Grewal, Kunwar Bidhuri, Nikhil Sangwan, Puneet Chahal, Priyansh Arya, Yash Dhull, Prince Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Arpit Rana, Divij Mehra, Sujal Singh, Hardik Sharma, Himanshu Chauhan, Ayush Doseja, Ankit Rajesh Kumar, Dhruv Kaushik, Ankur Kaushik, Krish Yadav, Vansh Bedi, Yash Sehrawat, Vikas Solanki, Rajesh Sharma, Tejasvi Dahiya (wk), Rounak waghela, Manpreet Singh, Rahul Gahlot, Aryan Sehrawat, Shivam Sharma, Siddharth Sharma, Parv Singla, Yogesh Singh, Deepesh Baliyan, Sagar Tanwar, Rishab Rana, Akhil Chaudhary, Digvesh Rathi, Sarthak Ranjan, Ajay Guliya.
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