Several Indian Test players, such as Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, are expected to participate in the upcoming round of the Ranji Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, January 23. This comes after head coach Gautam Gambhir encouraged his players to engage in domestic cricket following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
New Delhi: Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will miss the next stage of the Ranji Trophy, scheduled to start from January 23. It is because both players have concluded the white-ball tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Kohli is suffering from neck pain, which he has been carrying over from the Sydney Test against Australia, for which he received an injection on January 8. Rahul is out of the game with an elbow injury and will not be available for Karnataka’s match against Punjab.
The absence of Kohli and Rahul has furthered the debate about the batting depth in the Indian team, especially after the recent debacle against Australia. The head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has always stressed that senior players should play in the domestic red-ball competition, and this is a critical juncture for the Indian batting lineup as they prepare for the England tour in June.
Although Kohli and Rahul are not playing, many big names are expected to feature in the tournament. Shubman Gill from Punjab, Rishabh Pant from Delhi, and Ravindra Jadeja from Saurashtra are confirmed to play. The situation surrounding Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma remains uncertain, adding to the intrigue as the tournament progresses.
As the Board of Control for Cricket in India is all set to announce the Champions Trophy squad on January 18, then the Board will reveal its verdict on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury status and all other key positions. India’s strategy will depend on the decision of the BCCI as they head into a series of T20Is and ODIs against England before the event of the ICC.
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