Indian superstar Virat Kohli will be playing his first Ranji Trophy match since 2012 when he will take part in the match against Railways scheduled for January 30 in Delhi. Kohli missed Delhi’s next away match against Saurashtra, which starts on January 23 in Rajkot. Although he was injured due to a neck sprain, he informed the DDCA that he would be able to play in the team’s last league match, the Ranji Trophy.
“Virat has informed the DDCA president (Rohan Jaitley) and the team management that he is available for the match against Railways,” Delhi head coach Sarandeep Singh told PTI.
Following the series defeat in Australia earlier this month, the BCCI has made it mandatory for contracted cricketers to play domestic cricket unless they have fitness issues.
Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy match in November 2012 when Delhi played against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad.
The last two rounds of the Ranji Trophy will be star-studded matches, thanks to BCCI’s directives.
Kohli’s India and Delhi teammate Rishabh Pant will take to the field in Rajkot to play a Ranji match for the first time in six years. He might also be seen with Kohli in the Railways game.
After announcing the squad for the Champions Trophy on Saturday, India captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that he will be available for Mumbai’s home match against Jammu and Kashmir.
Other Indian star players including Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja will also feature in matches for their respective teams in the next round of Ranji Trophy.
Eagerness to have Rohit and others play red-ball cricket increased after India lost two consecutive Test series. India lost 3-0 at home to New Zealand and lost 3-1 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
Rohit and Kohli had a series to forget in Australia. Rohit was unwell and decided to sit on the bench for the final Test in Sydney, while Kohli was caught in the slip cordon of the ball outside the off-stump eight times during the series.
India will next play a Test match against England in June, but Rohit and Kohli are hoping to feature for next month’s Champions Trophy.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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