Virat Kohli confirms availability for Ranji Trophy, set to play vs Railways

Virat Kohli has confirmed his availability for Ranji Trophy. Sources at the Delhi and District Cricket Association have told India Today that the senior India batter will be available to play the match against Railways. Delhi’s Ranji fixture against Railways is the team’s final group stage match of the ongoing tournament. The game is set to start on January 30.

Virat Kohli will return to India’s premier domestic red ball tournament after a long hiatus of over 12 years. Kohli last played a Ranji Trophy game in 2012, against Uttar Pradesh. In that game, Kohli had scored 4 and 43 across two innings. At the time, Delhi was captained by Virender Sehwag. Gautam Gambhir, Unmukt Chand, Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra were Kohli’s teammates in that game.

Before Virat, India Test captain Rohit Sharma put himself in the Ranji Trophy fray after two disastrous series against New Zealand and Australia. The senior Indian duo had under-performed in both series resulting in embarrassing losses for India. Rohit had confirmed his availability during the Champions Trophy press conference in Mumbai. While announcing the ODI squad, Rohit had said that he will be playing the tournament.

Sharma has also had a big hiatus from the tournament. He last played in Ranji Trophy in 2015, coincidentally – against Uttar Pradesh. In the press conference, Sharma tried to explain his hiatus, stating that he has not had any free time at all since turning into a regular fixture in all three formats for India.

“(In) the last 6-7 years, I can at least tell about what has happened with me since I’ve started playing Test cricket regularly, which is from 2019, you hardly have any time (in hand),” Rohit told the reporters. Rohit had said that cricketers do not play domestic cricket due to a busy schedule with the national team.

“And then, when you play so much international cricket through the year, you need some time off as well as a cricketer just to refresh, get your mind right, just to be ready for the upcoming season. But we have addressed it now and nobody takes it for granted or anything like that. It is just based on looking at how one has gone through the season, how much rest he needs.”

“Based on all of that, we decide what is going to happen with certain players. Now it’s been made mandatory that if there is time, you have to play domestic cricket,” Rohit added.

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