リシャブ・パントがランジ・トロフィー第2戦でデリー主将に就任、左利き選手として7年間の活動休止に終止符を打つ

Rishabh Pant will not just make his return to domestic cricket after seven long years but will also captain Delhi for two games in the second leg of Ranji Trophy. The southpaw, who last featured in the tournament in 2018, has made himself available for selection and will feature in Delhi’s match against Saurashtra on January 23. Pant returns to domestic cricket following the BCCI and head coach Gambhir’s directive to the players to take part in the domestic red-ball tournament during the international break.

Rishabh Pant to captain Delhi in Ranji Trophy

As per Cricblogger, Pant is set to lead Delhi in what is a strategic move made by the DDCA. The report states that the move is aimed at allowing the southpaw to showcase his leadership skills in the domestic setting, potentially to groom him as a future India cricket team captain. Earlier, reports had suggested that the selectors were keen on naming Yashasvi Jaiswal or Pant as the vice-captain for the Test team in a bid to groom them for the captaincy role in the future.

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After making his comeback to Tests in 2024 following a horrific car crash in December 2023, Pant excelled at home but failed to fire in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia. He managed to score just 255 runs in 9 innings, failing to convert good starts into great knocks on most occasions, mainly due to his shot selection. To date, the southpaw has played just 17 Ranji Trophy matches, a record that is too poor for a player of his stature.

Pant already has leadership experience, having led the Delhi Capitals in the past in the IPL. The second leg of Ranji Trophy will be a good platform for the southpaw to strengthen his case to become the future Indian skipper after the Rohit Sharma era.