The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) said it has not received any official confirmation from Virat Kohli regarding his availability for the second leg of the Ranji Trophy season. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been included in the probable list for the first half of the tournament.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has urged players to take domestic cricket seriously. However, Virat Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance was in 2012, which drew criticism from former players like Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan, who pointed out this gap in his domestic career.
DDCA opens up on Virat Kohli's participation in Ranji Trophy 2024-25
According to a report by news agency ANI, the Delhi and District Cricket Association said it has not received any official communication from Virat regarding his availability for the Ranji season.
A source from DDCA said, “We have not received an official word from Virat Kohli regarding his availability for the Ranji season.”
The second half of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season is scheduled to begin on Thursday, January 23, with Delhi scheduled to play Saurashtra in an away match.
Notably, Kohli has been included in the probable squad for the Ranji Trophy in Delhi, but his participation is subject to availability.
Three names of Virat, Pant and Rana were added below but till last night Virat did not say OK about the game.#RanjiTrophy https://t.co/boeWiRPnQu pic.twitter.com/4cXRtoFNIO
— Abhishek Tripathi / Abhishek Tripathi (@abhishereporter) January 14, 2025
Virat Kohli has had a challenging campaign for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Virat had a tough 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia. He scored an impressive century in the first Test in Perth, which helped India win by 295 runs, but his form dipped as the series progressed. India lost the second Test by 10 wickets and Australia eventually won the series 3–1.
Kohli managed just 190 runs in nine innings at an average of just 23.75. After the series defeat, India missed out on a place in the World Test Championship final for the first time. Kohli is expected to return to action in the next three-match ODI series against England starting February 6 in Nagpur.
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill show commitment to domestic cricket
The BCCI recently introduced a directive encouraging players to participate in domestic cricket, which received a positive response, with many players turning up. However, senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja are yet to play in the ongoing domestic season.
Rohit Sharma, who is facing criticism for his form and under pressure for his place in the team, showed his commitment by taking part in training in Mumbai ahead of the second half of the Ranji Trophy season. However, it is yet to be confirmed whether he will play in the upcoming matches.
Shubman Gill has confirmed his availability for Punjab's next Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka, which is scheduled to start on January 23 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. While Punjab's squad is yet to be officially announced, Gill's inclusion would be a significant boost to the team.
Read also: Watch: Rohit Sharma partners with Ajinkya Rahane in Mumbai Ranji squad to save career amid slump