New Delhi: The stage is set and the excitement is palpable as the second leg of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 is all set to get underway on Thursday, January 23. It is arguably one of the most significant days in India’s premier domestic competition in the recent past as a host of Team India stars are set to make their presence felt in the tournament.
From skipper Rohit Sharma to the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Shubman Gill, a number of the big wigs will be in action for their respective teams in the second leg of the Ranji Trophy. The Mumbai Cricket Association has opted for enhanced security measures and has increased the seating captaincy at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in BKC as Rohit gears up to make his Ranji comeback after a decade.
The Indian skipper last featured in the Ranji Trophy in 2015 and recently trained with the Mumbai team ahead of his comeback in the domestic tournament. While Virat Kohli has pulled out of the game citing a neck sprain, Delhi will have Rishabh Pant in their ranks when they take on Ravindra Jadeja-starrer Saurashtra in their next Ranji Trophy game starting Thursday.
Shubman Gill is also expected to feature for Punjab in their all-important clash against Karnataka and all eyes will be on the star batter, who was recently elevated to vice-captaincy for India for the upcoming Champions Trophy. BCCI’s new directive to prioritise domestic cricket to stake a claim in the Test team has forced the India stars to return to action in the Ranji Trophy. Ahead of the tournament’s resumption, here are some interesting storylines to follow in the Ranji Trophy.
Top storylines to follow as Ranji Trophy resumes:
1) Rohit Sharma’s bid for redemption
After a disastrous tour of Australia, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will be seeking redemption when he returns to action in the Ranji Trophy. There are questions over Rohit’s future for India in Tests after he managed only 31 runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The senior batter was eventually excluded from the playing XI for the final 5th Test and was replaced by Jasprit Bumrah as captain.
Rohit will be hoping to regain his lost touch in red-ball cricket to keep his hopes alive of playing Test cricket for India again. It will also be interesting to watch if Rohit will open the innings for Mumbai with the young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is also set to feature in the Ranji Trophy as he is not part of India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against England.
2) Rishabh Pant vs Ravindra Jadeja
It will be Rishabh Pant vs Ravindra Jadeja when Baroda hosts Delhi in their Ranji Trophy match at Ground C, near the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. While Jadeja will be in action for Baroda, Pant will make his comeback for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. Pant last featured for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in December 2017.
Pant was offered to lead Delhi on his return against Baroda but he declined the offer, agreeing to play under current skipper Ayush Badoni. Meanwhile, Jadeja will be joined by another India Test veteran Cheteshwar Pujara in Baroda’s must-win clash against Delhi as they look to keep their hopes alive of making it to the knockout stage of the tournament.
3) Shubman Gill looks to hone skills
Shubman Gill is another Team India star who will be in action in the second leg of the Ranji Trophy starting Thursday. Gill too had a dismal tour of Australia where he managed only 93 runs in three Tests for the visitors. Gill failed to make an impact with the willow and was also let out from the playing XI in the 4th Test in Melbourne.
Gill, who was recently appointed as Inda’s vice-captain for the Champions Trophy 2025, will be looking to bounce back to form and hone his skills ahead of the all-important tournament. Gill has done well for Punjab in the domestic circuit in the past and will be looking to contribute to his team’s success in their next game against Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
A host of Team India stars, including captain Rohit Sharma will be in action in the second leg of the Ranji Trophy which gets underway on Thursday, January 22. Here are three storylines to follow as Ranji action resumes. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
