Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh PantHis bag and luggage have already arrived at Delhi’s team hotel in Rajkot, signaling his return to domestic cricket ahead of their Early trophy clash against Saurashtra, which is scheduled to begin on January 23. However, the star refused to lead the team from Delhi, s Ayush Badoni continued as captain.
Pant last played in the Ranji Trophy during the 2017/18 season, leading Delhi to the final against Vidarbha in Indore. Despite his efforts, including scores of 21 and 32 in the title clash, Delhi lost by nine wickets. In that season, Pant amassed 315 runs in seven matches at an average of 35.00, with a highest score of 99.
Delhi, currently fourth in their group with 14 points after one win, one loss and three draws, will be boosted by Pant’s presence as they aim to improve their standings.
Why won’t Rishabh Pant lead Delhi?
According to a report by Cricbuzz, Pant was offered the captaincy but decided to step down, stressing the importance of maintaining the current squad structure. “He believed that it would not be right to step in as captain just based on his experience as an international and IPL franchise skipper. He expressed confidence in the current captain (Ayush Badoni) and coach (Sarandeep Singh) to carry forward the vision of the team.” a source close to the development was quoted to Cricbuzz.
Pant’s return to the Delhi team comes after a remarkable performance in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, where he scored 255 runs in five matches in nine innings, at an average of 28.33 at a strike rate of 59.02. His contribution included a half-century and helped him finish as the sixth highest run-scorer in the series.
ALSO READ: BCCI issues strict guidelines for Indian players, warns of disciplinary action for non-compliance
National stars reunite with home teams
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal rejoined the Mumbai squad for training ahead of the second phase of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. It was recently spotted during open nets at the Bandra Kurla Complex Ground. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma skipped a recent workout but was seen running at the same complex. The development comes ahead of Mumbai’s match against Jammu and Kashmir on January 23.
Shubman Gill has also confirmed his availability for Punjab’s sixth round match against Karnataka, starting on January 23 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
