India all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss out on the upcoming Ranji Trophy campaign for Baroda starting February 10 as he is still in isolation. Hardik last played competitive cricket in the T20 World Cup last year, but is working on making a comeback in India.
Kedar Deodhar was made the captain of the Baroda team on Monday, 7 February. Vishnu Solanki was named Deodhar’s deputy as the Baroda Cricket Association announced a 20-man squad ahead of the first leg of the tournament.
Hardik’s name is missing from the Baroda squad for the Ranji Trophy 2022. However, his brother Krunal Pandya has found a place in the 20-man squad.
Hardik has been troubled by repeated back injuries and the all-rounder has not bowled consistently in international cricket or the IPL. However, he is working on his rehabilitation after missing a trip to South Africa and home series against New Zealand and West Indies.
Hardik is likely to return to action in the Indian Premier League 2022. He was named as the captain of the new-Ahmedabad franchise owned by CVC Capital. Hardik was selected as the first choice of Ahmedabad in the Rs 15 crore draft.
In an interview to PTI last week, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly had said that he hopes to play an all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy.
“Hardik was injured and was given a break to make a full recovery so that he could continue to serve Indian cricket for a long time. I am sure I will see him play some Ranji Trophy in the beginning. I hope he bowls more overs and has a stronger body.”
The tournament, which was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was scheduled to begin on January 13 but was postponed due to a third wave of infections across the country.
It will now be conducted in two phases, with the first phase starting from Thursday to March 15 at various places in the country.
The premier domestic schedule then takes a break during the IPL and resumes from May 30 to June 26.
Baroda squad for Ranji Trophy 2022
Kedar Dhevadhar, Vishnu Solanki, Pratyush Kumar, Shivalik Sharma, Kunal Pandya, Abhimanyu Singh Rajput, Dhruv Patel, Mitesh Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Babasfikhan Pathan (wk), Atit Sheth, Bhargava Bhatt, Parth Kohli, Shashwat Rawat, Soyb Soparia, Karthik Kakade , Gurjinder Singh Mann, Jyotsnil Singh, Ninad Rathwa, Akshay More.