Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has confirmed his availability to play for Delhi in the next Ranji Trophy match Saurashtra. Pant, who last played in the Ranji Trophy was during the 2017-2018 season, may join the team in Rajkot directly, where the match is scheduled to take place from January 23.
“Rishabh Pant has confirmed his availability for Delhi’s next Ranji Trophy game against Saurashtra,” DDCA chief Rohan Jaitley said. The wicketkeeper batter had a dismal run in the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia where India suffered a 1-3 loss to end decade-long dominance. He accumulated 255 runs including one half-century at an average of 28.33.
After India’s series defeat in Sydney, India head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised the importance of Test players participating in domestic first-class cricket whenever possible. Pant is not part of India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, starting January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Delhi currently holds the fourth position in Group D, with 14 points from five games.
Interestingly, star batter Virat Kohli, who last played for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in 2012, has named 38 probables for the remaining two Ranji Trophy games. Earlier, India Test and ODI captain Rohit Sharma joined Mumbai’s squad for training sessions ahead of the second phase of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, which begins on January 23.
Moreover, top-order batter Shubman Gill has also made himself available for Punjab’s sixth-round Ranji Trophy fixture against Karnataka. He last featured in the Ranji Trophy in 2022, when he played against Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals in Alur.
