India’s premier domestic tournament, Ranji Trophy, has started and players from different states are battling it out to win the coveted trophy. But this time there is something that is making this tournament a little less compelling.
According to a report, players like Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, and Shivam Dube are not a part of this year’s Ranji tournament because they have been asked to take rest by the medical team of the national team. However, Mayank has already played two games this season. On the other hand, Iyer and Dube have not turned up for a single game.
A source close to Team India noted that the medical team has advised cricketers like Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube to take some rest before the series against Sri Lanka starts. Meanwhile, after playing two games for his side, Agarwal has also been advised to rest a bit by the team that oversees the workload of all the cricketers in the side.
The right-hand opening batsman has been told to rest because he will soon be leaving for New Zealand with India A team on January 10.
“Iyer and Dube were asked to rest as per the advice of the medical team. Mayank has played two games so far, but he needs to rest a bit now because then he will leave with the India A team for New Zealand on January 10,” the source said.
“Whenever a player is asked to rest from domestic games, skipper Virat Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri, and chief selector MSK Prasad are informed about it,” the source added.
The rest can be quite handy for the Indian players who have a busy year ahead. The Indian team will start the year by playing Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series in January. As soon as the series ends, the Australian team would be coming for a three-match ODI series, starting from January 14.
India’s tour of New Zealand starts on January 24. Both the teams will play five T20 Internationals, 3 One-Day Internationals, and 2 Test matches.
After the tour of New Zealand, the Men In Blue will return home to play to a three-match ODI series against South Africa from March 12.
