Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh to miss out on the Ranji opener against Himachal

India discards Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh won’t be available for the Ranji Trophy match against Himachal Pradesh. Yuvraj will miss out on the Ranji opener due to his fitness test at NCA in Bengaluru, while Harbhajan is likely to skip the first two matches. Harbhajan is the skipper of Punjab and his deputy is Yuvraj.

With the new set of administrators taking charge of Punjab Cricket Association, former Indian cricketer Ajay Ratra has been roped in as the coach of the Punjab unit. Punjab had a poor season last time around and they will look to change things around.

Coach Ratra confident of good show

“Harbhajan won’t be there due to some commitments. We are expecting him soon. I am not too sure whether he will be there for the second game. Mostly, he will be available from the third. Yuvraj’s fitness test has coincided with the first game, so he won’t be around. But these things happen in cricket, and this is a good opportunity for the youngsters to step up,” coach Ratra told Sportstar.

Along with the two, medium pacer Siddharth Kaul, who has been picked for the India A squad, will also be out of action in the first game. In Harbhajan and Yuvraj’s absence, Jiwanjot Singh will be leading the side, and Ratra believes the young side has enough potential to do well. “We will definitely miss Yuvraj and Harbhajan. Every player looks up to them. But the team is working hard, and the results should be good,” the coach said.

Ajay Ratra is happy with the preparations. “Yuvraj has been spending a lot of time with the boys in the nets and giving me useful inputs. We had a good weeklong camp preparatory. Punjab did not do well last season, but that is in the past.

“Punjab is a talented bunch and their skills should be used in an apt manner. Once Harbhajan and Yuvraj join the squad, Punjab will be a power-packed side along with key players like Jiwanjot Singh, Manan Vohra, Manpreet Gony, Gurkeerat Singh Mann.