Virat Kohli prepares for his first Ranji Trophy appearance since 2012, set to train with the Delhi squad on Tuesday ahead of their final group match against Railways.
New Delhi: Virat Kohli is set to train with the Delhi team on Tuesday in preparation for his first Ranji Trophy appearance since 2012. Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh confirmed that Kohli will be part of the squad, having confirmed his availability last week for their final group match against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, scheduled from January 30 to February 2.
Kohli had missed Delhi’s previous match due to a neck injury. His return for this round comes after the BCCI issued guidelines to contracted players following India’s 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, one of which encouraged them to participate in domestic cricket.
In the past few days, photos and videos have surfaced on social media showing Kohli working with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar at a training facility in Mumbai.
The final round of Ranji Trophy group games will conclude four days before India’s first ODI against England in Nagpur on February 6. Kohli is part of the ODI squad for the three-match bilateral series, which serves as preparation for the Champions Trophy starting on February 19.
KL Rahul has been named in Karnataka’s squad for their crucial Ranji Trophy match against table-toppers Haryana in Bengaluru later this week. His inclusion is subject to fitness, but ESPNcricinfo understands that he has been cleared by the BCCI medical panel after recovering from an elbow niggle that kept him out of the previous match against Punjab.
With Rahul’s return, Karnataka will field a full-strength squad, including Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna, who were both part of India’s Test squad in Australia. This will be Rahul’s first first-class appearance for Karnataka in nearly five years, dating back to the 2019-20 semi-final against Bengal at Eden Gardens.
Meanwhile, Riyan Parag has been declared fit to play after recovering from a shoulder injury and will lead Assam in their final league fixture against Saurashtra in Rajkot.
