Irfan Pathan taking a dig at Virat Kohli? WC winner slams players for Ranji Trophy failures

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan criticized Indian cricketers for their poor performances in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25, but he did not mention any specific players. Irfan Pathan's comments seemed to target prominent Indian players who have been absent from domestic cricket for extended periods.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered players to participate in domestic cricket following the 1-3 loss in the BGT. Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja played the first match of the Ranji Trophy second leg, while KL Rahul and Virat Kohli returned for the final league match.

Bowlers You’ve Never Faced Can Really Surprise You - Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan shared his thoughts on the challenges of domestic cricket. He pointed out that pitches in India can behave differently depending on the region. Pathan said that playing against unfamiliar bowlers can be tough, and he urged players to spend more time in domestic cricket to improve their skills.

“Indian domestic cricket, especially with the red ball, presents unique challenges. These tend to come up during the winter months. The pitches have more in them, and bowlers you’ve never faced can really surprise you,” Pathan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“In northern India, the black soil alters how the pitch behaves, while the same bowler in the west of India might test you in a whole new way. You can score runs or get out, but there’s much more to it than that. This is exactly why I’ve been advocating for current Indian players to spend as much time as they can playing domestic cricket,” he added.

Indian domestic cricket, especially with the red ball, presents unique challenges. These tend to come up during the winter months. The pitches have more in them, and bowlers you’ve never faced can really surprise you. In northern India, the black soil alters how the pitch…

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 31, 2025

A Modern-Day Cricketer’s Job is to Play Cricket Year-Round - Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan criticized Indian players for their poor performances in the Ranji Trophy. He pointed out that modern-day cricketers should focus on playing year-round while managing injuries, rather than training for long periods just to play for a short time.

“At the end of the day, a modern-day cricketer’s job is to play cricket year-round, managing niggles and injuries, not to train for 10 months just to play for 2 months,” he wrote.

At the end of the day, a modern-day cricketer’s job is to play cricket year-round, managing niggles and injuries, not to train for 10 months just to play for 2 months.

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 31, 2025

Virat Kohli Fails to Impress with Bat on Ranji Trophy Return

Virat Kohli, stepping out to bat for Delhi on Day 2, quickly disappointed a large crowd hoping to witness a big innings. He managed to hit a beautiful straight drive for a boundary in the 28th over but was dismissed just a ball later by Himanshu Sangwan.

Kohli tried to play the same shot again, but the ball swung in and hit the off-stump, ending his brief stay at the crease after just 15 balls. Kohli's dismissal triggered a mini-collapse for Delhi, who were at 86/3 when he left the crease. They quickly lost another wicket, slipping to 97/4.

At the time of writing, Delhi was at a score of 273/5 in 59 overs. Captain Ayush Badoni was dismissed for 99 runs, falling just short of a well-deserved milestone. Earlier, Railways had posted 241 runs in their first innings on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 match on January 30.

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