NEW DELHI: It was a dramatic day at Ferozeshah Kotla on Wednesday. With the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) waiting till the last hour before having its selection meeting for the Ranji Trophy, officials, coach and selectors in the premises were bemused by Ishant Sharma going incommunicado for the last few days.
Minutes before the meeting commenced, DDCA president Rohan Jaitley got through to Ishant and the veteran pacer informed that he was unwilling to play Ranji Trophy. Around 10 days ago, Ishant had told a member of the team management that he was keen to play the Ranji Trophy!
Ishant’s reluctance has come at a time when Indian cricket seems to be close to hitting the transition button in Test cricket. TOI understands that the team management is laying out a plan to move on from Ishant, Wriddhiman Saha, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. While Saha had communicated to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) that he is not available for the Ranji Trophy, DDCA waited to hear from Ishant before picking the team which is scheduled to leave for Guwahati on Thursday morning.
TOI has learnt that both Saha and Ishant have been spoken to about their future by the senior members of team management and the national selectors. “They have been told that the Indian team management is looking to groom the next line of players. Their chances of playing Tests might have dropped substantially,” a BCCI source told TOI.
Ishant, 33, was not played in any of the three Tests in South Africa. He hasn’t attended Delhi’s Ranji Trophy camp either. With Rishabh Pant evolving as the first-choice wicketkeeper, Saha’s chances of getting a game has diminished greatly.
As for the pace attack, it is learnt that Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan and Navdeep Saini are being groomed for the longest format. Rahane and Pujara, it has been learnt, have been put on notice. They may have to score heavily in domestic cricket to cement their places in the Test team. “Things don’t look flowery for Rahane and Pujara too. They are playing Ranji Trophy which is a good sign. They are walking a tight rope though,” the source said.
It’s been learnt that the team management is keen on investing in KS Bharat as the backup wicketkeeper for Test cricket. India are due to play two Tests against Sri Lanka at home next month.
They will be playing another three Tests in the year. Besides a solitary Test in England in July, India will be playing in Bangladesh and India in the rest of the World Test Championship cycle.
Dhull picked in Delhi squad
U-19 World Cup-winning captain Yash Dhull has been picked in the Delhi squad for the Ranji Trophy. Dhull was expected to reach Delhi on Wednesday before joining the team travelling to Guwahati on Thursday morning.
The Delhi middle-order is packed with experienced batters but the selectors and team management would not mind creating a space for him in the opening position.
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