Virat Kohli named in Delhi squad for 2024-25 Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra; Rishabh Pant not to lead: Reports

Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have been named in Delhi's squad for their Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra. However, it is unclear whether Virat will take part in the match or not.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is set to play for Delhi in the next round of the Ranji Trophy. He will feature in the game against Saurashtra. While reports emerged that Pant will lead Delhi, DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) president Rohan Jaitley has confirmed that Pant will not be the captain, as reported by The Times of India (TOI).

Jaitley stated that the wicketkeeper-batter reached out to him, informing about his decision to play just as a player. According to Jaitley, Rishabh Pant did not want to disrupt the existing leadership set-up just for the sake of one game.

“Rishabh called me up on Friday morning and said that the selectors must continue with the existing captain. He doesn’t want to disturb the leadership group of the team for an odd match.. He feels the existing captain must have had his own ideas and knows the players in the team much better than him. There must be continuity. He will be there to guide the team on the field. It’s a great gesture from him and it shows he thinks of the team ahead of himself,” the DDCA president was quoted as saying by TOI.

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Rishabh Pant unlikely to participate in more than one Ranji Trophy game

While Rishabh Pant will feature for Delhi in their Ranji Trophy game against Saurashtra, it is unlikely that he will play more than one game for them. The wicketkeeper-batter is most likely to be picked for India's ODI series against England at home.

Pant is also expected to be a part of India's Champions Trophy squad. Therefore, it will not be possible for him to play more than one game for Delhi. This could also be the reason behind him not wanting to take up captaincy for just one match.

The left-hander has played 68 first-class matches in his career so far. He has scored 4868 runs at an average of 46.36. Pant also has 11 first-class hundreds and 24 half-centuries.