Players like Indian captain Rohit Sharma, senior batsman Virat Kohli, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and opener Shubman Gill can be seen playing the Ranji Trophy. All these could be part of their squad for the second phase of Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was spotted training with Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, while Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Harshit Rana have been named among Delhi's Ranji prospects. Shubman will also be seen playing for Gill's Punjab Ranji team.
The second leg matches of the current season of Ranji Trophy are starting from January 23. The final match will be played from 26th February.
Pictures of Rohit's practice…
Rohit Sharma practiced with Mumbai Ranji captain Ajinkya Rahane.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma coming out of the field after the practice session.
Gill available for Punjab team Cricinfo wrote that Shubman Gill has made himself available for Punjab's Ranji squad, though the squad is yet to be announced. Gill last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2022. He appeared in the quarter-final against Madhya Pradesh in Alur.
Kohli-Pant and Rana list Delhi's Ranji prospects Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Harshit Rana have been included in Delhi's list of Ranji prospects, although the DDCA has written that the international players' playing Ranji will depend on their availability.
Names like Aayush Badoni, Yash Dhool, Anuj Rawat, Navdeep Saini and Hrithik Shokin are included in this list.
3 reasons why Indian players play Ranji…
1. It became mandatory to hold review meetings at the domestic level Two days ago the BCCI reviewed the performance of the Indian team at the BCCI head quarters in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the team's performance in the home series against New Zealand and the tour to Australia was reviewed. During the meeting, the board members emphasized on senior players playing domestic cricket. Also it was made mandatory for the players to play Ranji.
2. Head coach Gautam Gambhir said- Senior players should play Ranji After the BGT loss, Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir said that the senior players of the Indian team have to play Ranji and other domestic matches from time to time to improve their batting skills.
3. Poor batting against New Zealand and Australia Rohit Sharma (31 runs), Virat Kohli (190 runs), Rishabh Pant (255 runs) and Shubman Gill (93 runs) have been batting poorly in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the last few months. The bats of the players were quiet against New Zealand as well.
Mumbai won the last Ranji title The last Ranji Trophy title was won by Mumbai led by Ajinkya Rahane. In the final match played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai defeated Vidarbha by 169 runs. Mushir Khan was adjudged player of the match for his all-round performance. He scored 136 runs and also took 2 wickets. At the same time, Tanush Kotian, who scored 502 runs and took 29 wickets, was declared the player of the series.
Mumbai players lifted captain Ajinkya Rahane on their shoulders after winning the Ranji Trophy.
Image Credit: Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).