Opener Sarthak Ranjan: Opener Sarthak Ranjan has earned a recall to the Delhi Ranji Trophy squad after eight years as the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) named a 16-member contingent for their Elite Group C opening game against Bengal.
The selection committee met at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday to finalise the squad for the season opener, set to be played on October 11 in Kalyani. The meeting was attended by selectors K. Bhaskar Pillai, Manu Nayar, and Praveen Gupta, alongside head coach Vijay Dahiya, Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) chairman Sarandeep Singh, and DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma.
Batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni continues at the helm as captain, with former India U-19 World Cup-winning skipper Yash Dhull named as his deputy. The headline inclusion, though, is Sarthak, son of politician Pappu Yadav and Ranjeet Ranjan, who returns to Delhi’s red-ball setup for the first time since 2018, when he last featured in two Ranji Trophy matches.
Sarthak’s recall follows him having a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL earlier this year. Delhi’s pace attack will be led by fast bowler Navdeep Saini, with Simarjeet Singh, Money Grewal, and Divij Mehra as other options. Off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen and left-arm spinner Sumit Mathur will anchor the spin-bowling department, alongside Badoni’s off-spin.
The squad features three wicketkeeping options in Anuj Rawat, Pranav Rajvanshi, and Tejasvi Dahiya. Sanat Sangwan, who’s playing the Irani Cup clash for Rest of India against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar, along with Ayush Doseja, Dev Lakra, and Dhruv Kaushik round off the rest of the squad members.
All selected players have been instructed to report to head coach Dahiya for a practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday before their departure for Kalyani. Delhi last won the Ranji Trophy in 2007/08 and under new head coach Dahiya, they will be aiming to get into the knockouts, something which hasn’t happened in the last two seasons.
The squad features three wicketkeeping options in Anuj Rawat, Pranav Rajvanshi, and Tejasvi Dahiya. Sanat Sangwan, who’s playing the Irani Cup clash for Rest of India against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar, along with Ayush Doseja, Dev Lakra, and Dhruv Kaushik round off the rest of the squad members.
Article Source: IANS
