Ranji Trophy‘s 2024-25 season resumed in the new year on Thursday and marked the return of some of Indian cricket’s iconic names to the country’s elite first-class competition.
Leading that list was India’s ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma, who is going through a horrendous run with the bat, which saw him scoring just 31 runs in five innings on the Test tour of Australia.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Also seen in action were Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja — all of whom are looking to return to form ahead of the ODI series against England, which will be followed by the Champions Trophy.
Here’s a look at how the stars fared on day one for their respective state teams, besides other talking points and notable performances:
Rohit Sharma’s poor run continues: Rohit returned to domestic cricket, representing defending champions Mumbai, for the first time in a decade. His comeback match at the BKC ground against Jammu and Kashmir, aimed at finding rhythm before the Champions Trophy, didn’t go as planned. In Mumbai’s first innings, Rohit managed only three runs before getting dismissed while playing his characteristic pull shot against Umar Nazir, with J&K skipper Paras Dogra completing the catch at mid-off.
Rishabh Pant fails to impress: In Rajkot, Pant returned to represent Delhi, marking his first appearance since the 2017-2018 season. However, his stint at the crease was short-lived. The attacking southpaw fell victim to Saurashtra’s seasoned left-arm spinner Dharmendrasingh Jadeja after scoring just one run, getting caught at deep square leg while playing a sweep shot.
Ravindra Jadeja shines with a five-wicket spell: All-rounder Jadeja made an impressive return to Ranji, claiming five wickets for Saurashtra in their match against Delhi at Rajkot. After Delhi elected to bat at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Jadeja dismantled their top-order and secured figures of 5 for 66 in 17.4 overs, in what was his first Ranji Trophy appearance since 2023. His bowling performance helped restrict Delhi to 188 runs in 49.4 overs. Subsequently, Jadeja showcased his batting skills, scoring 38 runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scores only four runs: India skipper Rohit Sharma’s fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) had a brief stay at the crease for Mumbai as J&K’s Auqib Nabi secured an LBW dismissal against the southpaw.
Shreyas Iyer dismissed cheaply: Yudhvir Singh secured a crucial wicket for J&K when Mumbai star Shreyas, who has been selected for the Champions Trophy, was caught at mid-on for just 11 runs.
Shubman Gill flops: At Bengaluru, Punjab captain Shubman Gill was dismissed for four runs, nicking a delivery to the wicketkeeper in the match against hosts Karnataka. The away side crumbled to a mere 55 runs while fast bowlers Abhilash Shetty and Vasuki Koushik shared seven wickets between them in a destructive bowling performance. Shetty claimed Gill’s wicket in the fourth over of the innings.
Venkatesh Iyer suffers ankle injury: Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh sustained an ankle injury soon after he arrived to bat on Thursday, forcing him to leave he field, but he returned despite an injury to score 42 runs. The all-rounder fell to the ground in severe pain while he was receiving medical attention from the team’s physiotherapist. Subsequently, he was observed leaving the field with assistance from the physio. The injury has caused significant worry amongst Kolkata Knight Riders’ fans, particularly as the team had invested Rs 23.75 crore to acquire him at the Indian Premier League mega auction in November last year.
Siddharth Desai takes 9 wickets in an innings: Gujarat’s Desai etched his name in cricket history on Thursday by taking nine wickets in a single innings against Uttarakhand in their match at the Gujarat College Cricket Ground A in Ahmedabad. The left-arm orthodox spinner’s exceptional bowling figures of 9 for 36 established a new record in Gujarat’s first-class cricket history. His brilliant performance surpassed the previous best bowling figures of 8 for 31 by Rakesh Vinubhai Dhurv in 2012. (111)
When will Virat Kohli play?
After experiencing a neck sprain that prevented his planned appearance for Delhi against Saurashtra, it has been learned that Kohli has been cleared to participate in next round of the Ranji Trophy, beginning January 30 against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. His previous Ranji Trophy appearance was more than ten years ago.
