The last Test season has been nothing but a forgetful one for the Men in Blue. The Indian cricket team suffered a whitewash at home against New Zealand, followed by a 3-1 series loss in Australia.

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India’s batting concerns were at the forefront, with senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma not performing well and many questioning if they still have fuel left in the tank.

Also Read: No WAGs, travelling together among several updates in BCCI’s mandate

The duo’s poor form has sparked a debate about whether they should return to domestic cricket to regain their touch. Several former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan, have openly discussed the importance of playing domestic cricket when there’s no international cricket.

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Will Kohli show up for Delhi?

While Rohit Sharma was seen attending Mumbai’s training camp at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday (Jan 14), Shubman Gill has reportedly made himself available for Punjab’s sixth-round Ranji Trophy (India's premier domestic tournament) match against Karnataka. He last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2022, when he played against Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinals.

“We have not received any sort of official communication from Virat Kohli on his availability for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season,” a DDCA official told WION.

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This comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed the players missing the domestic matches during the home season to give a valid reason, which will be reviewed by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) or their respective state association.

Interestingly, Kohli’s last appearance in the Ranji Trophy was back in November 2012, for Delhi against Uttar Pradesh, where he scored 14 runs in the first innings and 43 runs in the second. Meanwhile, Rohit’s last Ranji Trophy appearance for Mumbai was during the 2015/16 season against Uttar Pradesh. He played a brilliant knock of 113 runs off 140 balls.