Even though senior Team India and Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma were left out of the playing XI against Tamil Nadu, India U-19 skipper Yash Dhull began the innings alongside Dhruv Shorey for the Delhi Ranji team.
As Tamil Nadu won the toss and opted to bowl first in their Ranji Trophy match in Guwahati on Thursday, veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma, who had proclaimed himself unavailable for the Ranji Trophy league stage, was left out of the playing XI by Delhi (February 17). Although Delhi lost a couple of early wickets to TN bowler Sandeep Warrier, ICC U19 World Cup-winning skipper Dhull raced to a run-ball 41 at the top of the order.
Ishant Sharma is expected to join the Delhi squad ahead of the team’s first encounter on Thursday against Tamil Nadu (February 17). Ishant, on the other hand, will be unavailable for the tense showdown due to a five-day required quarantine. From February 24, he will be available for the second game against Jharkhand. Chhattisgarh is the opponent in the third and final Delhi match.
“Today is Ishant’s birthday. From the second game forward, he will be available. Although it would have been preferable for the squad if both pacers had been available from the start, their comeback is welcome and will help the team “PTI quoted a team source as saying. The experienced pacer is no longer a sure bet for a spot in the national team, but he might have a chance to participate. in the next home series against Sri Lanka.
After going unsold in the IPL auction, Ishant changed his mind about playing in the Ranji Trophy, according to a top official of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA). “If he won’t even play in the Ranji Trophy, there’s no need for any team to even consider him. He needs to play in order for national selectors to reconsider him. He might have skipped it if he had been offered an IPL contract. He has a flight at 3:30 p.m. today “According to the official,
Navdeep Saini, another India pacer, is expected to arrive in Guwahati for the Jharkhand encounter. Saini was with the India ODI team in Ahmedabad and will not be required to quarantine until he arrives in Guwahati.
Ishant, 33, has 105 Test appearances under his belt but has fallen behind Mohammed Siraj and now Prasidh Krishna in the pecking order. In South Africa, he did not play a single Test match.
Yash Dhull, India’s U-19 captain, started with Dhruv Shorey in the first game, which both teams must win if they are to advance to the quarterfinals. “He’s all set to open. He’s in good shape, and it’s best to give him a chance when he’s performing well. There’s no use in picking him if you’re not going to use him “Added the source.
On Tuesday, Delhi head coach Raj Kumar Sharma showered admiration on the youthful batter (February 15). “He is a remarkable talent, as he demonstrated against Australia in the semifinals. He has a bright future ahead of him for India “Sharma told PTI about his century against Australia in the under-19 World Cup.