Kohli, Pant back in Delhi’s Ranji squad following BCCI diktat

Kohli and Pant.
| Photo Credit: File photo: AFP

A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made participation in domestic matches mandatory for players to remain eligible for selection in the Indian team, Delhi’s squad for the next Ranji Trophy game against Saurashtra wore a star-studded look with Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant part of a 22-member contingent.

The sixth-round Group D fixture will be played at the Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Rajkot from January 23 to 26.

Kohli’s participation, however, is subject to availability. It is understood that the 36-year-old had a neck sprain after returning from the five-Test series in Australia. His last appearance in the Ranji Trophy dates back to November, 2012, when he played against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad for a Delhi team also featuring current India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“Even if Kohli doesn’t play in Rajkot, he could be available against Railways at home in the following round from January 30,” a source informed.

The BCCI’s policy document for the Indian men’s team, which came into the public domain on Thursday, states that it will make an exception regarding players’ participation in domestic cricket only under “extraordinary circumstances” that require formal approval from the chairman of the national selection committee.

Pant confirmed his availability to the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley on Tuesday. He hasn’t played in the First-Class competition since leading Delhi in the 2017-18 Ranji final against Vidarbha in Indore. The 27-year-old has chosen not to take up the captaincy despite the selectors willing to hand him the responsibility for this game. It means Ayush Badoni, who took charge in November and hit a double hundred in his very first game as skipper, will continue as captain.

“Pant’s idea behind not becoming captain is that he doesn’t want to upset the functioning since he hasn’t been part of the team in recent years. He feels that the leadership of the team is settled with Badoni and things should continue as such,” Jaitley told The Hindu on Friday.

Jadeja could be back

Saurashtra had named a 17-member squad, led by left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat, on January 13. Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t feature in it, but the experienced all-rounder could make himself available closer to the game considering the heightened scrutiny on India’s players. He scalped eight wickets in his last Ranji game for Saurashtra against Tamil Nadu in January, 2023. On the recent tour of Australia, he played in three of the five Tests.

“I won’t be surprised if Jadeja plays. He is that sort of a cricketer who can turn up and play a match without a lot of net practice. He didn’t bowl a lot of overs in Australia, so he will be fresh,” a source said.