Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Pant and Jadeja take centre-stage as Delhi faces Saurashtra
Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Pant and Jadeja take centre-stage as Delhi faces Saurashtra
“ Idhar hi daalte rehna (Keep bowling at this spot).”
Rishabh Pant’s chirpy voice could be heard aloud at the practice facility inside the Niranjan Shah Stadium as he went about instructing Delhi’s spinners on the ideal length to target during a net session on a balmy Wednesday morning. Not far away from the Delhi nets where Pant was batting, Ravindra Jadeja, in a black t-shirt and trousers because his training kit hadn’t arrived, was probing as usual while bowling to Saurashtra’s batters. Among those facing Jadeja was Cheteshwar Pujara, whose most striking association with Pant was when India pulled off a heist at the Gabba in Brisbane in 2021.
You would have to cast your memory back to the distant past to remember a round of matches in the Ranji Trophy when it was graced with as much star power. But following the BCCI’s advisory that India players must participate in domestic cricket when available, most of the top stars will turn out for their State teams in the matches beginning on Thursday. Here in Rajkot, Jadeja and Pant, who were part of India’s Test series in Australia, will be in opposite camps as Saurashtra takes on Delhi in a Group D battle.
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Though Pant didn’t look at his fluent best against the spinners, he was in an upbeat mood right through. After completing his batting stint, he went on to have a chat with Arpit Rana and Sanat Sangwan, seemingly passing on batting tips that these youngsters will hold onto dearly.
The 27-year-old then proceeded to do catching drills before taking it easy and obliging a few onlookers with selfies and photographs.
Pant hasn’t played a Ranji Trophy game since leading Delhi in the final of the 2017-18 season against Vidarbha. It goes without saying that he will be crucial for the visitor in this fixture, more so given his prowess against spin on a surface that is expected to turn from day one.
“It does seem like it will be a turning track and a result-oriented match,” Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni assessed. “Rishabh’s entry has lifted the morale of all the boys even further. Personally, I have just become captain. So, it is good that he can guide me. It will be of a big help to me.”
If Jadeja homes in on the right spots with the ball as is his trademark, Delhi’s batters will be in for a tough time against the left-arm tweaker.
“We have been preparing against left-arm spin on turning pitches for the last 10 days. So, we are quite confident that we will deal with whatever threat that is posed,” Badoni said.
That the track will assist spin, according to Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat, is a given. The host, which is fifth in Group D, needs outright wins in its remaining two games in Rajkot in order to have a shot at the knockouts. Delhi is currently third, behind Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh.
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“We need outright wins. Obviously, you can’t expect green seaming tracks in Rajkot,” Unadkat quipped. “So the only way to do it is by obviously having some help for spinners and you have got to expect that. I don’t know how much, but there will be some help for the spinners for sure from day one.”
The left-arm seamer has been a vocal proponent of domestic cricket’s importance. So, when asked about the likes of Jadeja and Pant being available for this fixture, his response was along expected lines.
“It is great that all the top players are available,” he enthused. “When Ravindra was bowling in the nets, a couple of other guys were having a chat with him. Those are the things they don’t get to do if he’s not here with the team. When all these world-class players come in, it is a great opportunity for the youngsters playing First-Class cricket to pick up a thing or two from them and to do it themselves. It just boosts the overall standard of cricket.”
