Rishabh Pant ends Ranji exile, to represent Delhi for first time since 2017 against Saurashtra; Virat Kohli still quiet

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has made himself available for Delhi’s upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra in Rajkot. On the other hand, right-handed batter Virat Kohli has not communicated anything to the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) regarding his availability for the upcoming fixture. Rishabh Pant is available for Delhi's Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra. DDCA yet to hear from Virat Kohli. (AFP)

DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma confirmed to Hindustan Times that Pant will travel to Rajkot for the upcoming fixture against Saurashtra on January 23.

“Yes, Rishabh Pant is available, and he will be travelling with the team to Rajkot,” he told Hindustan Times.

Rishabh Pant's last Ranji Trophy appearance came in the 2017-18 final against Vidarbha in December 2017.

Delhi are currently placed third in Elite Group D with 14 points.

When asked about Virat Kohli, Ashok Sharma said, “He hasn’t communicated about his availability to us.”

Virat Kohli had an underwhelming tour of Australia as he managed just 190 runs in 9 innings. Despite hitting a century in the series opener in Perth, Kohli struggled and was dismissed on all occasions while chasing deliveries outside off-stump.

Kohli's last Ranji Trophy appearance came way back in 2012.

Coming back to Pant, he was recently not named in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against England.

Gill and Jaiswal also available for their teams

Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also available for Punjab and Mumbai respectively. Mumbai are slated to square off against Jammu and Kashmir, while Punjab will take on Karnataka.

Recently, Rohit Sharma was seen training with the rest of the Mumbai squad for the upcoming match against Jammu and Kashmir. However, it is not known whether he will play the match in Mumbai or not.

Earlier, the BCCI had asked every player to represent their state teams in domestic cricket. The board has also asked centrally contracted players to get the report from physio and the go-ahead from head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar if they cannot turn up for some reason.

The loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has resulted in the BCCI cracking the whip and asking players to return to the grind and play domestic cricket.

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