Ranji Trophy: No clue on Virat Kohli; Rishabh Pant to play for Delhi after 7 years, confirms DDCA secretary

Rishabh Pant to play Ranji Trophy for Delhi. (PTI Photo)

After seven years, India's star cricketer Rishabh Pant will be seen wearing the Delhi team jersey at the Ranji Trophy. Delhi District Cricket Associaton (DDCA) secretary Ashok Sharma has confirmed Pant's availability for the Ranji Trophy game. He also revealed the management has no clue on whether Virat Kohli will play or not as the senior cricketer has not informed anything.

"Yes Pant has confirmed his availability for next Ranji game and will join the squad in Rajkot directly. About Virat Kohli we want him to play but we haven't heard from him while Harshit Rana is selected in the T20 squad and hence is unavailable," DDCA secretary Sharma told PTI.

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Pant's decision to play domestic cricket comes after head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed that he wants players to play for their respective domestic teams when not playing international cricket. Pant's last Ranji game was way back in the 2017-2018 season whereas Kohli last played for Delhi in 2012.

Shubman Gill to play for Punjab

India's young batting sensation Shubman Gill has confirmed his availability for Punjab's next Ranji Trophy match, while India captain Rohit Sharma recently joined Mumbai's Ranji Trophy practice sessions. However, like Kohli, Rohit is yet to confirm his participation. The Indian skipper last played domestic red-ball cricket in 2015.

Kohli and Rohit have since played one first-class game each - Kohli for India A before a tour of Sri Lanka (2017), and Rohit for India A before a home series against South Africa (2019) when he was set to open in Test

Meanwhile, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has also been instructed to join Mumbai's practice sessions.

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BCCI's stance

Jay Shah, the former BCCI secretary, had previously warned players of serious implications for skipping domestic cricket and priortising the Indian Premier League (IPL). “Domestic cricket has always been the foundation upon which Indian cricket stands, and it has never been undervalued in our vision for the sport,” he said in a letter to the contracted players.

While the big names escaped any sanctions, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lost their BCCI central contracts. (With Burea inputs)