New Delhi, Jan 14 India's star batters Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are "most welcome" to play for Delhi in their last two fixtures of the Ranji Trophy after being named in the probable squad by the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA). Both players 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. India also lost a chance to play their third consecutive World Test Championship final.
However, the final decision on their participation in domestic matches rests with the players and the team management. "Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant are our star players and they're most welcome to play for Delhi but we've to look at their workload and what all suggestions they get from NCA and the Indian team management," a DDCA source told IANS on Tuesday.
In five Tests, Kohli scored just 190 runs and was dismissed eight times chasing deliveries outside the off-stump. On the other hand, Pant accumulated 255 runs including one half-century at an average of 28.33.
Both Kohli and Pant failed to live up to expectations and replicate their past heroics Down Under. Kohli last played for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in 2012.
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. The wicketkeeper-batter is not part of India's squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, starting January 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Earlier in the day, 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.
Delhi is scheduled to play against Saurashtra in Rajkot from January 23, followed by the last group game against Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium, which starts on January 30.
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