New Delhi: In a desperate bid to regain form, several Indian cricket stars have decided to return to where it all started. After suffering back-to-back series losses – at home for the first time in 12 years after being whitewashed against New Zealand and in Australia, losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years by a 1-3 margin – several regular members of the Test squad are ready to grind in the second phase of Ranji Trophy.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, young guns Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are all set to play for their respective teams in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season starting January 23.
While Rohit’s availability is not yet confirmed, his presence in the Mumbai Ranji training session is a strong indicator that he will most likely play for Mumbai against Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, another star Indian batter, who struggled badly on the Australia tour, is unlikely to turn up for his state team, despite being named in the Delhi squad for the Ranji season. A senior official from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has already raised doubts regarding the availability of Kohli.
Rohit and Virat in desperate need to regain form
Both Virat and Rohit failed miserably at home against New Zealand and away in Australia. The consistent run of poor scores put a big question mark on their red-ball credentials and raised concerns over a lack of respect towards domestic cricket.
Rohit, who joined the team from the 2nd Test onwards in Adelaide, could only muster 31 runs in the three Tests he played and was forced to drop himself for the must-win 5th Test in Sydney.
Meanwhile, Kohli’s struggles outside off were exposed by the Australian pacers throughout the series. He only managed 190 runs in the series including the 100 in the series opener in Perth.
Their poor red-ball form prompted the head coach Gautam Gambhir and several experts to urge the superstar duo to return to domestic First-Class cricket to get their basics right.
While Rohit looks certain to make a comeback to Ranji cricket, Kohli’s return to the domestic scene looks unlikely due to several reasons.
When did Rohit and Virat last played domestic red-ball cricket?
Rohit last played domestic red-ball cricket for Mumbai almost nine years ago in 2015 while Kohli’s last appearance in the Ranji Trophy was 13 years back in 2012. Kohli’s last played a Ranji match against Uttar Pradesh in Ghaziabad where the match also featured big guns like Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, and Ashish Nehra for Delhi.
Meanwhile, UP boasted the likes of Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Virat was dismissed for 14 by Bhuvneshwar in the first innings as Delhi lost the match by six wickets.
Rohit also played his last Ranji match against UP. The India skipper was at his fluent best for Mumbai and scored 113 runs off 140 balls.
All eyes are on Indian superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the second phase of Ranji Trophy 2024-25. The duo has been advised to return to domestic cricket to regain red-ball form. With the much-awaited comeback still not confirmed, let’s take a look at their last domestic appearances. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
