JAIPUR: After an incredible outing at the recently concluded
Vijay Hazare Trophy
, where Rajasthan finished runners-up,
Deepak Hooda
has been given charge to lead the side in the
Ranji Trophy 2023-24
which is slated to begin from January 5.
An 18-member squad has been announced which will leave for Rohtak on Tuesday where Rajasthan will open their Group A campaign against Haryana.
Seamer Aniket Choudhary will be Hooda’s deputy.
The senior selection committee has retained the core players who were seen in action in the 50-over format, but it also includes ‘three players who have made it through influence’.
“So many players in the Under-23 and Under-19 tournaments have done well, but unfortunately, they have not been included. A few in the system are using their power to pressurise selectors to get their relatives in the team. A new name in the squad has not played any age-group cricket, but that boy has been included,” said a Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) official on condition of anonymity.
Left-arm seamer Tanveer Ul-Haq, who played only two First Class matches last season, is back in the side and it would be interesting to see which two other fast bowlers will join Aniket in the playing XI. Right-arm pacers Sahil Dhiwan and Arafat Khan were impressive in the Hazare Trophy, and it would be a tough decision to make for the captain.
Kamlesh Patel is a new entry with no stats to back his inclusion in the side.
In the 2022-23 season, Rajasthan finished fourth in Group C with two wins and two losses along with three draws in seven outings.
Squad: Deepak Hooda (captain), Aniket Choudhary (vice-captain), Abhijeet Tomar, Yash Kothari, Mahipal Lomror, Karan Lamba, Kunal Singh Rathore (wicketkeeper), Manav Suthar, Arafat Khan, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sahil Dhiwan, Salman Khan, Ram Mohan Chouhan, Samarpit Joshi, Tanveer UlHaq, Kamlesh Patel and Ramniwas Golada.
Support staff: Anshu Jain (head coach), Puneet Yadav (coach), Fareed Ahmed (physio), Sunil Sheoran (strength and conditioning coach), Manish Goyal (video analyst) and Anil Sinha (manager).
English (US) ·