Ranji Trophy 2018-19: Gautam Gambhir refuses to captain Delhi

The 2018-19 edition of the Ranji Trophy is currently taking place and a few encounters in the event have already been staged. The next set of matches start on November 12 with 17 matches to be played. Out of the teams, Delhi haven’t played a match and they are set to begin their campaign against Himachal Pradesh at Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi.

In the meantime, it has been learned that Gautam Gambhir, the 37-year-old cricketer has asked the management to not pick him as the captain of the team. Left-handed batsman Nitish Rana is set to be appointed as the skipper for the entire season. Dhruv Shorey is most likely to be given the mantle of vice-captaincy as per reports in Express Sports.

A topsy-turvy year for Gambhir

As far as captaincy is concerned, Gambhir was selected to lead the Delhi Daredevils in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) in the previous season. However, he stepped down from the leadership role after the Delhi franchise slumped to quite a few defeats in the first half of the tournament. Gambhir’s own form in the willow was also shambolic.

Shreyas Iyer replaced him as the captain thereafter. To add to the veteran’s agony, he was sidelined from the team as well. His heydays in the event came while representing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the two-time IPL champion. He recently had a decent time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, having captained Delhi to the final against Mumbai at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The 37-year-old also scored a match-winning century in the quarterfinal against Haryana on his birthday. Delhi had an impressive season last time around. They made the final against Vidarbha but slumped to a defeat against Faiz Fazal’s men, who won the Ranji Trophy for the maiden time. Delhi’s fate in the upcoming season would depend on how Gambhir wields his magic with the bat in hand.

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