New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma has been named in Delhi’s 16-member squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while experienced left-handed batter Nitish Rana has been left out, said the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Friday.
The squad was picked at a meeting of the senior men’s selection committee held at the DDCA premises on Friday afternoon. Selectors K. Bhaskar Pillai, Manu Nayar and Praveen Gupta were present, along with head coach Vijay Dahiya, Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) chairman Sarandeep Singh and DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma.
Ishant’s selection is a clear sign that the senior right-arm pacer, who has played more than 100 Tests, is keen to carry on playing domestic white-ball cricket for Delhi. His experience should also be valuable for fellow fast bowlers Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, and Simarjeet Singh.
IANS understands that Rana might play one game for Delhi in order to see if he’s fully fit after undergoing extensive rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Rana has been named in the India A squad for the Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup, to be played in the 50-over format from November 19 to 29 in Doha, Qatar.
Rana has not played any cricket since a hamstring injury sustained in the third T20I against England, which ruled him out of the series. He was a conditional pick for the T20Is against Afghanistan and the Asian Games, but Rana suffered a left quadriceps strain during a match simulation at the CoE on September 7, which in turn extended his rehab period.
Batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni will lead Delhi in the tournament and will open their Elite Group B campaign against Jammu and Kashmir in Indore on November 14. Badoni ended the first phase of the Ranji Trophy as the second-highest run-scorer with 559 runs in four games, coming at an average of 111.8, including hitting 210 not out and 217 against Gujarat and Jharkhand, respectively.
The spin options include leg-spinner Suyash Sharma and mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi, while Mayank Rawat and Keshav Dabas are the all-rounders. In the batting department, Badoni will be joined by opener Priyansh Arya, former India U-19 captain Yash Dhull, Himmat Singh, Sarthak Ranjan and Ayush Doseja. Anuj Rawat and Tejasvi are the two wicketkeepers in the side.
After the opening game, Delhi will face Punjab on November 16, before taking on Bihar (November 18), Saurashtra (November 20), Haryana (November 22), Tamil Nadu (November 24) and Railways (November 26). Delhi won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy only once in the 2017/18 season under Pradeep Sangwan’s leadership.
Squad: Ayush Badoni (captain), Priyansh Arya, Sarthak Ranjan, Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Tejasvi (wk), Anuj Rawat (wk), Himmat Singh, Mayank Rawat, Keshav Dabas, Suyash Sharma, Digvesh, Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Simarjeet Singh.
–IANS
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