BCCI asks R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma to skip next Ranji ties

New Delhi: Ahead of their departure for the Test series to be held in Australia the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has asked Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma to skip Ranji Trophy matches starting Tuesday. The team management wants the duo to take rest prior to the tough series against Australia. Ishant will lead team India’s pace attack whereas Ashwin might sit out if India goes with just one spin bowling option.

A BCCI official said, “Ishant and Ashwin are experienced bowlers and they need to be preserved. Shami wanted some game time but Ishant is looked at someone who has to do a lot of bowling in Australia,”

The report also says that Delhi, who will take on Hyderabad in their next match, wanted Ishant to play. The right-arm pacer played the first game of the season for his state at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground against Himachal Pradesh and bowled 28.3 overs, taking four wickets. Whereas, Ashwin hasn't played much after the two Tests against the West Indies.

The absence of Ishant is a drawback for the state as Nitish Rana-led team is already without the services of Navdeep Saini, who is a part of the three first-class games between India A and New Zealand A.

As these two players will not be able to play Ranji Trophy, however, BCCI has allowed Mohammed Shami to play for Bengal but it has also put a cap on the number of overs which he will be bowling for. Shami will be allowed to bowl 15 overs per innings in Bengal’s next Ranji Trophy tie against Kerala.

It is heard that members of the Test squad will be leaving on November 24. The next round of Ranji matches ends on November 23.